Vincent sat cross legged in a large cave with lupus and the insatiable abomination on either side of him. The three of them were meditating in complete tranquility, minds linked to further amplify their considerable abilities. Their attention was focused inward, to Vincent's Soulspace. The object of their careful observation was currently the engraving script that had become the bane of Vincent's existence since beginning his tutelage under the sword master, Zar-Rhah.
For Vincent, it had been five long and painstakingly gruesome years under the thumb of the system. In all that time he had pursued his goal of amassing power with an obsessive passion. On days like this it almost didn't seem worth the effort.. But that meant he was close to a breakthrough. other another wall…
He grit his teeth and focused, feeling his raging emotions being mirrored by his two companions. They were almost there.. it was just a matter of finding the perfect sequence in which to apply the runes they'd finally mastered. With the help of not one but two synchronized souls aiding his research, his progress had been astronomical. To have almost completely mastered this difficult of a script in two years time was truly unprecedented by all standards of measure.
Congratulations! Your skill: Linguae Architéktōn (Mythical) has increased to level 33!
Vincent panted in relief, feeling thoroughly exhausted, but he raised his head and smirked. "Gotcha." There was a pulse of blue energy followed by a small, semi-transparent shockwave. A golden energy spread slowly across Vincent and his companions as well as all of their equipment. Deep within his Soulsapce there was a strong pulse.
He had more or less mastered dreamwalking at this point, so it was child's play to project himself into the deepest depths of his soul.
While his physical body remained in place, his mind was transferred into his metaphysical Soulspace. Of course this left him vulnerable and unable to guard himself in the real world. Time still moved at its regular pace. But that wasn't a factor here.
His Soulspace had grown much more comprehensible and detailed. It appeared as an almost exact replica of the very same cave that served as his safe haven ever since he had first come to the system. Whether that had been a decision on behalf of the system or his own subconscious doing, he wasn't sure.
The primary difference in this artificial world was the size of Vincent's Soulspace compared to the actual cave in the real one. Vincent's Soulspace seemed to grow larger and larger the more powerful he became, and with each successful rotation of his cycle of Life, Rot and Ash. Currently his Soulsapce manifestation measured roughly three times the size of the cave in the physical realm.
The second major difference was the amount of ambient Nectar in the air. While a large amount of raw, untapped energy had gathered on the ceiling of Garkan's tomb, it paled in comparison to the density and scope of the Nectar that permeated Vincent's Soulspace. It gushed out of the pillar located in the center of the metaphysical space, looking almost ghostly in appearance.
A massive inefficiency he would address momentarily.
Vincent walked up to the pillar, where his Soul was currently undergoing a radical transformation. Naturally he had chosen to engrave his script on the 'pillar.' Having it represent his innermost self just seemed.. appropriate.
Originating from the pillar, and shooting off into various directions were multiple different colors of Nectar, acting as tethers. Some were much larger, and flowed faster than the others. Two in particular caught his eyes, one a bright emerald green and the other a deep, dark purple.
These were the bonds that made up his Network of souls, connecting him to his companions, equipment and pack. The energy between them flowed back and forth simultaneously, becoming stronger and more refined as it was exchanged between the two sources.
Vincent was surprised to find there were also two connections there that he hadn't expected to find, and they had grown relatively large lately. One was a silvery gray and the other was maroonish red. Without even needing to look deeply into them, he knew these threads of energy ran to Zar-Rhah and Gildarts.
As he got within hugging distance of the rough stone, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, finding that his soul was littered with surprises today. At the base of the pillar a small patch of grass had begun to grow and slowly spread in all directions. 'How interesting..' He pondered. It was the first semblance of biological life he had encountered in his Soulspace thus far.
The man shook his head and turned his attention back to the central pillar. He narrowed his eyes as his perception dismantled the metamorphosis occuring before him.
With one hundred supporting characters around them, two primary runes 'adaptation' and 'molecular synthesis' slowly took shape and blazed across the thick base of the pillar. The process completely obliterated the replica engravings that existed there before as his runes continued to spread and connect to one another like chains.
The symbols began to glow brighter and brighter, deepening themselves in the stone as Vincent's considerable vital energies were devoured by the engravings. The process was roughly guided by Vincent's domineering will, but mostly he trusted his soul and the system to make the most of this offered resource.
Engravings, unlike skills, were special in that they could be powered with mana, emotion, stamina, health.. pretty much any form of energy depending on the desired effect. So of course Vincent being the over achiever that he was, chose to use every type of energy combined in his Soulspace in order to power his scripts.
He just didn't realize how extensive the cost would be, as the Nectar in the air continued to rapidly dissipate. These runes, which he poured his intentions and feelings into, took longer than most. But they were unbreakable and absolute. However if they kept consuming such copious amounts of energy even he would run dry.
He was scared for a second that the engravings wouldn't hold as the symbols shook and wavered, beginning to vibrate with the pressure of containing his unnaturally dense powers.
An intense pressure began to build that was difficult to explain. Vincent had never been several miles deep in the pre-system earth's ocean before, but he imagined it probably felt something like this. After an annoyingly prolonged amount of time in which he nearly lost consciousness, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The symbols began to dim and settle down. The pressure slowly withdrew its tight grasp from around him. The Nectar in the air was practically bone dry, but it was slowly being replenished with his skills. Much of the dense, gushing mist had ceased flowing from the pillar.
As the runes finished stabilizing, they pulsed and glowed lightly in various different colors and shades. The multitudes of symbols swam in complex patterns with the two largest engravings acting as the unmoving anchors at the center of the structure.
It faintly reminded him of the way planets orbited massive stars in a Solar system, the gravitational properties of each planet deftly interacting with one another. He methodically rolled his neck in a contented manner as he felt the effects. His sword, shield and armor buzzed in satisfaction having gained new abilities.
AoF (Unique) lvl 1 Attk: 100 Ability: Adaptation. User absorbs a small amount of the targets skill, energy and experience per attack. Does not lower enemy skill level. If the target has multiple skills, the user receives experience from all sources.
Warning! Skill leech has been absorbed! Calculating effects…
'Tsk.. I literally just got that skill a few weeks ago..' He groaned internally.
Incorporating aspects of Yggdrasil.. Incorporating aspects of The Revered Patreon..
Congratulations! Adaptation now forms a sphere of influence around your person that is active even when you are not in combat! Grows in scope and effect based on the strength of the user.
ME (Unique) lvl 1 Defense: 100 Ability: Molecular Synthesis. Allows the user's equipment to passively absorb the element properties of any substance the user touches, adding their density and function to the user's own.
Trinity (Unique) lvl 1 defense: 100 Ability: Passive energy absorption. While donning your armor, gradually absorb the flows of energy from the environment and even the lifeforms around you. Quickly adapt to harmful environments. Greatly empowers Yggdrasil and the Cycle of Life, Rot and Ash.
Congratulations! Synergy detected! Calculating…
Passive energy absorption and Adaptation are amplifying one another's effects! Expanding sphere of influence… current sphere of influence: ten meters
Vincent sucked in a breath as he felt the effects on his body on the outside world, even from within his Soulsapce. He had to actively forbid his new abilities from leeching the Nectar from Garkan's tomb, as he promised he wouldn't defile the place.
It split his attention a little bit, but not too much. With a sigh he shook his head and turned his eyes back to the blue window, where notifications continued flashing across his screen.
Congratulations! Skill: Skill Configuration (Unique) achieved!
Skill: Soulspace manipulation (Legendary) achieved!
Synergy detected! Recalculating…
Congrarulations!
New feat: Rise of the King in Black!
Perk: Anointed prince, the Monarch fledgling has evolved to become..
Blooming Monarch! The system recognizes you as a young monarch with extraordinary potential! Your choices are yours, and yours alone. A young king sits atop his throne and gazes out at the expansive world with hungry eyes.
Ancient ones lift their tired heads as a new King grows in strength.. Within the bowels of the Nexus, ancient beasts arise from their slumber..
Rewards unknown…
New perk: Enrichment of Life, Rot and Ash! Gives a generous boost to Life, Rot, and Flame based abilities.
Skill Configuration: (Unique) Allows the user a fair amount of control over the evolution and leveling of skills. Allows user to place natural and temporary caps on their skills. A unique skill that does not level. Grows stronger in proportion to the user's Soulspace and will. (Passive skill)
Soulspace manipulation (Legendary) Our souls represent everything we are. Yours glows unnaturally bright; you demand to be heard by the Nexus.Your careful hands work constantly to weave together a more perfect vessel to house your ever growing Soul. (Passive ability)
Enrichment of Life, Rot and Ash. Your understanding of the eternal cycle grants you invaluable insights. Your Vitality, Toxicity and Flame are much more potent than before. Your skills level more quickly. You break down and comprehend the calorific flows in all things slightly faster than before.
Congratulations!
Soulspace Cycle (Unique) has increased to level 3!
His Soulspace shuddered before stretching and becoming marginally larger. The central pillar, rather than gushing Nectar as it had done previously, began to shine a bright gold color. The grass at his feet began to grow and a single flower bloomed…
His eyes snapped open as he came back to the real world once more. His companions were examining their equipment in awe. "Hell yeah man, this is so awesome!" Lupus yelled, literally bouncing around at sonic speeds with excitement. As mature as he had become, the goofball still acted like a child most of the time. His ever stoic brother merely smirked, eyeing his equipment with naked admiration and lust.
Vincent smiled fondly at the two and took in a deep refreshing breath. He stood to his feet and gave himself a quick look over. Decidingly satisfied with the results of all of his hard work, he flexed. "I feel like I could beat the terror of the jungle with ease, now.." Vincent began making his way toward the mouth of the cave but paused to take a look at his garden.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
On either side of the tomb's unnatural stream were twenty golden plants consisting of various fruits and vegetables. 'Not quite ready yet..'
He turned and gestured to his companions. "Come on. We've got work to do." Lupus bounded gayly after with the colossal, skulking figure of the Abomination lumbering silently behind.
As the three made their way outside, Vincent raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Stepping out onto the flat field, he couldn't help but notice that plant life all around him began to flourish and thrive. The grass at his feet grew rapidly and the ground hardened with increased vitality. "This must be the effects of my Adaptation after incorporating Yggdrasil and the Revered Patreon.." He realized.
Chuckling, he made his way across the field at a brisk pace. Vincent was eternally grateful for his plante skill making it so that he didn't have to deal with the sticky, waist high plant life anymore. His tribe, which had grown to over fifty wolves now, bowed in respect and clamored to catch a glimpse of their fabled God.
It was an unfortunate and sad fact that his was probably the last remaining pack with numbers in the double digits..
The jungle seemed to grow ever more dangerous by the day and it was only because of Vincent that his adoptive family wasn't left to a similar fate. Under his tutelary care they had prospered. They would follow him to the ends of the Nexus...
Vincent walked elegantly, head held high as a show of strength and pride before his pack. The prince, now technically a king in his own right, was off hunting. His brother was one of the few still capable of holding their own in the ongoing war with the depraved.
Vincent smiled. He always gave the utmost respect to the king of the wolves during public affairs for the sake of his adoptive brother's pride but in Vincent's heart Dawn would always be that little pup he rescued.
On their way to their destination, Vincent glanced over his shoulder at a wide field that consisted of nearly fifty neat rows, stretching off into the distance. This humble farm was the result of his pledge to help the Orc people. While it didn't grow the kind of impossibly high quality plants that Vincient's personal garden did, it was still much higher grade than anything found on the pre-system Earth.
The wolf God and his loyal subjects were able to pump out massive quantities of food each month, enough to feed an army. In fact, they had so much extra food these days that he was in the process of making a trade deal with the empire. But that was a matter for another time.
The fields left his view entirely and the man turned back around, focusing on their destination. From its entrance, the farms were on the left hand side of the cave while Vincent and his companions had made their way to the other side. It was here where a large, dark amethyst object lay lodged in the ground and covered in mutated grass. It looked like a giant frozen fireball.
Vincent and co. stopped before the meteor whose mysteries had plagued him since it had nearly crushed him and his family a year ago. Still to this day he was nowhere near understanding what the exact purpose of the object was. But now.. that was no longer a factor. He held up his large shield and pressed its diamond shaped face to the rugged surface of the meteorite.
"Time to figure out what secrets you hold inside." He threatened, as if the rock were somehow supposed to fear his taunts. His companions sweat dropped but said nothing, simply observing as their master attempted to understand his equipment's new abilities.
Vincent wasn't exactly sure what to do or how to activate Molecular Synthesis so he kind of just stood there awkwardly for several seconds 'willing' something to do.. something. He could feel the sphere of influence that represented his Adaptation stretching out and lazily drinking energy from all sources within its grasp.
He could even feel it siphoning off a small amount of dense Nectar from the meteor. Every few minutes there was a pulse of pure life from the sphere, increasing the vitality of the world around him and further improving the quality of the energy his Adaptation absorbed.
But the strength of the skill was still too weak to be meaningful in any way. It would take far too long to absorb the properties of his objective this way and crack it open. Still holding the face of his golden shield firmly to the purple meteor, he sighed and looked both at Lupus and Abomination. "This is weird… You two got any ideas?" He asked.
Of course the two idiots just shrugged in response. He pinched his nose in frustration with his free hand. After several more minutes of trying to activate various abilities and absolutely nothing happening, he stepped away.
But as he did so he couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped his lips. There were no noteworthy changes in the rock…
His shield, however, had its colors morphed to the point Vincent almost didn't recognize it. He looked at it, looked away and then did a double take as he looked back at it again in shock. "Wait, what the actual fuck!? My shield!?.." He cried indignantly.
Whereas before the shield was a shining gold with patterns of red, now it's base was a black so dark it almost seemed to absorb light. Where the red had been before was now an ominously glowing violet. A purple mist drifted lazily off the surface of the equipment and its sides had widened into spikes.
"Fuck, screw this damn, poisonous thing!" He cursed kicking the meteorite. He fully expected he was about to break his ankle as he held nothing back with the kick. To his utter shock however, the entire thirty-ish foot tall object was obliterated in a wave of force. He stood flabbergasted for several seconds, mouth gaping in abject confusion.
How had he..?
He quickly checked his strength stat… He hadn't received some sudden ungodly boost so.. he focused his perception on his shield and instantly saw what he had missed before. Due to his panic, all he'd really noticed was the physical properties, not bothering at all to look at the shield's attributes.
Had he done so, or even noticed the changing shapes of the energy within his soul bound equipment, he would have understood what happened. "Haha.. hahaha" He burst into laughter as his mind calmly pieced the situation together. His sensory abilities allowed him to conclude that his shield had indeed absorbed the sturdiness of the strange amethyst rock, which apparently left it brittle as a consequence.
He looked at his stats, specifically his armor.
AoF (unique) lvl 1 Attk: 125
Ability: Adaptation. User passively absorbs a small amount of the energy and experience within his sphere of influence.
ME (unique) lvl 1 Defense: 150
Ability: Molecular Synthesis. Allows the user's equipment to absorb the element properties of any substance the user touches, adding their density and function to the user's own.
Trinity (unique) lvl 1 defense: 125
Ability: Passive energy absorption. Quickly adapt to harmful environments, boost Adaptation and similar abilities.
His eyes grew to the size of saucers. His defense had grown by 75 and his attack by 25! Just from absorbing the event rock.. He chuckled at his fortune, finally having changed for the better for once. This new ability would prove exceedingly valuable in the future.
He glanced over at the rubble from the meteor, which had begun to crumble and sink into the ground. That damn thing had been useful for something, otherwise proving to be little more than an eye sore after having nearly eradicated him and his family.
His shield had obviously gotten the lion's share of the boost but it was more than fair by splitting half the energies with its brethren.'Good girl' He thought affectionately. The shield purred in response. Apparently she didn't mind going full goth either, so he didn't complain about the cosmetics too much.
Vincent idly wondered if the boost in stats would apply multiplicative or additive if he somehow managed to level up.
Would 100 points of armor be all it would ever add? He wasn't sure. The only way to know would be to start leveling his gear and that was something he still wasn't really sure how to do. Not while he had no way of increasing his own level…
He had never put much time or thought into it as he didn't want to risk losing out on his precious efficiency. It was already so hard to improve, given his massive library of skills and abilities. It only got more complicated maintaining a decent efficiency with each new skill he acquired, which is part of why he didn't just go off creating random ones all the time.
Activating all of his abilities in tandem, his Aura imitation flared ro life as he considered what to do next. It was simply second nature to use all of his skills at once at this point for maximum efficiency. But what he hadn't anticipated was that he had in fact become a lot stronger this past week..
He shuddered with the influx of energy granted by his equipment and his newest abilities. Given the number of stronger and higher rarity skills Vincent now possessed, there was quite a bit more strain than what he was accustomed to.. For the most part he was able to grit his teeth and push through it. Besides he would grow stronger from struggling through this pain.
But for the time being his efficiency would be lowered slightly until he got used to this new level of power, and he wouldn't be able to activate his highest rarity skills with their full emotional force. He had come to realize some time ago that rarity wasn't necessarily determined by the function of a skill or what it did, but by how much emotional force, stats and raw energy it took to activate.
He was sure leveling up would create a whole new kind of emotional and physical strain as his skills grew increasingly powerful. Over the last two years Vincent had developed some useful abilities, but nothing too sophisticated.
"I need to find Gildarts…" He mumbled, the tip of his Aura casually licking the air. "But first.." There were still some shifts occurring within him that he needed to better understand. With a flick of his wrist he brought up his status window. It was time to see how powerful he had become and address the most obvious changes that he'd noticed since completing his script and obtaining his new skills.
AoF Lvl 1 Attack: 125
Ability: Adaptation.
ME Lvl 1 Defense: 150
Ability: Molecular Synthesis.
Trinity Lvl 1 defense: 125
Ability: Passive energy absorption.
Efficiency: 6%
Skill XP available: 1%
Nectar capacity: 1%
Strength: 400
Endurance: 375
Vitality: 550
Intelligence: 375
Perception: 325
Agility: 350
Skills:
Dodge (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Smithing (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Farming (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Cooking (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Sword and shield (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Block (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Crushing Grip (Common) lvl 70 (Consumes stamina to multiply grip strength. Also increases the damages of melee weapons by 200%)
Shockwave (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Parry (sword) (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Shield bash (Common) lvl 99 (Capped)
Alchemy (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Electric resistance (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Acid resistance (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Ice resistance (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Hardened skin. (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Reinforced bones (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Geographic inclination. lvl 99 (Capped)
Tuck n roll (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Piercing thrust (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Magnetism (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Thermal manipulation (Uncommon) lvl 99 (Capped)
Planta/Plante (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Courage (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Enhanced toughness (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
rejuvenation. (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Extract (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Refine (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Combine (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Berserker rage. (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Telekinesis. (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Aerodynamics (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Absolute timing (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Sixth sense (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Reconnaissance of the Alpha Wolf (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Lucky break (Rare) lvl Max
Maelstrom whirlwind (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Shadow manipulation (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Radiant Light (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Water torrent (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Electric Bolt (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Cinder of flame (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Stealth (Rare) lvl 99 (Capped)
Mental fortitude lvl 50 (Decreases strain of overusing the intelligence stat)
Ecology (Epic) lvl 95
Unyielding guard (Epic) lvl 89
Unwavering strike (Epic) lvl 89
Shadow step (Epic) lvl 93
Comet (Epic) lvl 90
Pilfered kinetic force (Epic) lvl 90
Impact reduction (Epic) lvl 85
Pain tolerance (Epic) lvl 75
Diverging perception (Epic) lvl 60
Gravity manipulation (Epic) lvl 70
Blazing trail of Wrath (Epic) lvl 55
Flamecloak (Epic) lvl 50
Flurry of strikes (Epic) lvl 70
Optical incandescence (Epic) lvl 50
Shadow's embrace (Epic) lvl 30 (When in darkness or shadow, become slightly harder to detect, move slightly faster, and all abilities with dark and gravity affinites gain a small boost per skill level)
Cripple limb (Epic) lvl 50 (Passive ability. Attacks do increased damage to enemies limbs, slowing them and causing prolonged healing)
Vulnerability (Epic) lvl 40 (Active ability. Enemies take more damage)
Weakness (Epic) lvl 40 (Active ability. Enemies deal less damage)
Debilitating stomp (Epic) lvl 25 (Causes intense vibrations in a 10 foot radius around the user which disrupts enemy footing and guard)
Critical strike (Legendary) lvl Max
Universal dialect of many Tongues (Legendary) lvl 75 (Formerly Advanced communications)
Complete tranquility (Legendary) lvl 55
Unparalleled physical fitness (Legendary) lvl 52
Bleeding heart (Legendary) lvl 49
Ancient Slumbering Tortoise (Legendary) lvl 45
Mercy of the revered patreon (legendary) lvl 15
Yggdrasil; Ancient world tree (Legendary) lvl 8
Tempered atomic structure (Legendary) lvl Max
Critical strike (Legendary) lvp Max
Wrathful Flame (Legendary) lvp 30
Spirit fusion (Legendary) lvl 30
Linguae Architéktōn (Mythical) lvl 33
Progenitor of the Sectum Anima (Mythical) lvl 20
Devour (Edax Animarum) (Legendary) 15
Absolute Authority (Mythical) lvl 10
Incinerate (Mythical) lvl 25
Festering Scarlet Rot (Mythical) lvl 30
Ameliorate Wound (Mythical) lvl 25
Eternal Pillars of Support; Soulbound Champions (Mythical) lvl 15 (Energy circulates between you and your companions, mimicking the circle of life. Your energy is refined and increased in potency as it passes between your Soulspaces. All skills level slightly faster, gain knowledge faster, gain stats faster, companions share strain of skills)
Dance of the Immortal Chimera (Mythical) lvl 10 (Passive ability. User is slightly harder to kill and takes slightly less damage from all sources per skill level)
Singularity (Divine) lvl 10
Soulspace cycle (Unique) Lvl 3
Network of souls (Unique) lvl ???
Blessing of Silva deus (Unique) lvl ???
Skill Configuration (Unique) lvl Max
System interference (???) Lvl.??...
The first thing Vincent noticed was the level cap present on all of his skills that had hit 99. He breathed a contented sigh of relief. The Nectar that had been gushing from his Soulspace was likely a result of him forcefully willing his skills not to level past 99 at all times. All the excess skill XP had nowhere to go, so it constantly saturated his soul.
There had been a mounting pressure from forcefully suppressing that much unshaped energy, which Vincent only just now understood the full effects of. He hadn't even realized how much of a deficiency and dihibiliation it had been up until this point. If he had to explain it, it was the equivalent of only being able to use one arm because the other constantly had to hold his insides together.
But now that the process of converting experience and Nectar was being actively assisted by the system, he was able to divert his wasted focus and energy into power. And he truly felt powerful. Within his Soulspace, the pillar of his soul was shining a brighter gold by the second, brimming with excess potential.
His storage of Nextar began to accurate once more as his abilities siphoned energy from the world around him. He flexed his powerful body and his efficiency rose to 7%. Some of the strain he had been feeling from his additional abilities receded as his power slowly grew.
His blue Aura imitation spread out further, encompassing a space several inches from his body. This gave him the appearance of an azure candle that continuously glowed brighter and brighter.
He raised his arms on either side of him and took in a deep breath, pushing his massive library of skills and considerable stats to their limits. The energy in his soul churned in carefully controlled patterns. Steam hissed off his body, the air shimmering around him. His equipment trembled in excitement, lending their own emotional force and will to their master.
The ground at his feet quaked and began to crack. Plant life exploded around him with another pulse of his Adaptation. Ydgrassil reached out with its golden roots and greedily devoured the excess energy, which his system interference then converted into raw stats.
The man's Soulspace trembled as his cycle of Life, Rot and Ash accelerated. Some of the plants within his ten meters of Adaptation quickly began to decay while others caught fire. His mismatched eyes glowed, staring intently ahead as the essence of his being leaked out into the world around him. The air rippled and seemed to be pushed away from the man, causing a distortion effect.
Even from the other side of the field where the gardens were contained, the pressure in the air grew. His pack shook in instinctual submission. Their hair rising on end as they tried to comprehend the power their leader was displaying. As for his companions, Lupus was a mischievous grin while the Abomination's gaze was one of hunger and envy.
His perception spread out for half a mile, allowing him to feel everything from the swaying of the trees, to the smallest insect scuttling across the ground. Though his five natural senses were abnormally sharp, his Sixth Sense truly gave the world in his mind's eye depth. It gave him the ability to literally feel the universe around him.
But rather than feeling things the way one typically would with their sense of touch, this was more of an emotional feeling. He inherently comprehended and parsed apart the very energy that comprised the universe. He understood the atoms that made up every single element, and how it all came together to work in nature.
And Vincent was a star at the heart of it all.. separate from the system and feeding off of it to create his own light. Ydggrassil grew taller and more robust. Its roots dug deeper and reaching higher into the sky, gathering more and more ambient energy.
As the rumbling grew to a crescendo Vincent lowered his arms and huffed out a breath. All at once his energy disbursed and he relaxed, causing the rumbling to cease. The world was eerily silent as it recovered from its shock. "Hmm.. didn't sense him." The man muttered, running a hand through his rather short hair. At least compared to what he was used to.
He scratched his chin and sighed before shaking his head in dismay. He turned to his companions, who patiently awaited his orders. Lupus giggled with a goofy closed eye smile while the Abomination merely crossed his arms and stared back stoically.
Vincent couldn't suppress the smile that split his face. "Time for a hunt."
End of chapter 41