24 A Total Surprise (1/2)

A few minutes before the explosion.

[Beep! Host has successfully condensed and mastered the spell Corrosive Scimitar Aura!]

Corrosive aura was a unique spell which Drodosis personally created, inspiring himself with other spells such as 'sword aura' spell, 'Shadow Elemental Cloak' as well as the many Knight Techniques involving the internal energy condensing itself on the weapon.

Spending a little more than 3 months developing and mastering the spell in near-seclusion within the Southern Wing, alone, in the middle of the acidic pool, Drodosis had made tremendous progress, and eventually, the understanding and mastery of the spell allowed the bottleneck that prevented him from progressing further on the path of a Water body refinement adept had finally been overcome.

[Beep! Host is breaking through! Breakthrough can be further boosted in order to gain additional 2 additional points of spirit! Do you wish to spend 500 evolution points for that?]

'No!'

In the past, Drodosis would have definitely said yes. 2 points of spirit was the equal of a year of daily meditation for him, and it was considering he would not encounter another bottleneck in the meantime! And, if it weren't for him meditating 20 hours a day (thanks to his biochip allowing him to do it subconsciously while retaining consciousness), it would take him 2, if not 3 years to earn these 2 points of spirit.

However, it wasn't something impossible to do. Evolution points were a gateway for you to achieve the impossible, even when the world is against you. They can be spent to understand things that are completely out of your league, and enable you to strengthen innate perks that shouldn't budge a bit without Earth-shaking treasures.

This is why Drodosis was saving them. He had yet to know what he was saving them for, but it didn't matter. The requirements to become an adept were so tough that restraining his greed was a must if he ever wanted to become one of those fearsome adepts in the future.

Suddenly, a wave of mana entered his brain, and expanded his spirit. His vessels seemed to have changed slightly, and his mind felt clearer than ever, as if before, a fog was clouding his thoughts.

Now that this 'fog' was removed, he could think faster and found himself more intelligent. His soul had also encountered a qualitative change, and he had now confidence in controlling up to 20 golems at the same time, without any major impact on his personal fighting prowess.

[Breakthrough completed! Additional benefits from the world consciousness: Genetic Improvement, Spirit +1, Physique +1, Thinking speed improved.]

Here was the main advantage that Body Refinement Adepts possessed when compared to knights: genetics. While knights and grand knights would ultimately face the dreadfulness of genetic shackles, adepts only needed to expand and cultivate their spirit to breakthrough and receive a genetic improvement. Adepts had limitless potential, as long as their talent, luck and resources allowed them to further expand their spirit. On the other hand, Grand Knights could only progress…to the peak of the Grand Knight Realm.

Even the Royal Knights of the Phuinem Kingdom were only as strong as peak rank 1 adept, with maybe the Sword Saint Richard Phuinem having reached the fighting prowess of a rank 2 adept, but it was the sole exception Drodosis knew of. After all, Richard was a one-of-kind freak, who had sharpened his techniques to realms beyond Drodosis' understandings, someone who had gone through thousands of battlefields, always emerging victorious despite the odds, allowing the Phuinem Kingdom to further expand and strengthen.

If not for the Sword Saint Richard, the Phuinem Kingdom would not be independent, but a land controlled by one of these huge adept families, and the royal family would be p.a.w.ns 'tolerated' by adepts. However, in a world where rank 2 adepts are as scarce as phoenix's feathers, who would dare offending such a powerhouse?

On the other hand, Drodosis had records of the Old Times. There were once many rank 3, or even rank 4 adepts in this world, which was proof of the Adept's superiority over Grand Knights. However, an unexpected calamity struck Alphen, a calamity which was not recorded anywhere. n.o.body knew what happened.

The answer might be lying dormant in ruins…and Drodosis could only grow more and more curious about this world's history as he was becoming more and more knowledgeable. Maybe one day, he would learn the truth of this mystery.

It was a paradoxical hole that generations of adepts and scholars couldn't pierce, sometimes in spite of having invested their whole life trying to do so. How could it not entice Drodosis, who wished to know as many things as he could? A Beep sound stopped his wild fantasies though:

[Beep! Effects of the spell successfully completed! Cost: 9 points of mana. Cooldown: ø. Effects: Envelop the sword with an aura of high acid elemental particles' concentration, adding [Spirit*2] points of acidic damage to the next attack, empowering the strike with corrosion effects. If not treated, the target will be corroded until death. Effects depend on enemy's physique, spirit and defensive prowess. If it is a s.h.i.+eld, then it will be corroded until it breaks.]

Drodosis suddenly had an idea. What if he combined this Corrosive Aura Spell with his most powerful attack: Whirlwind Strike?

Spinning on himself at lightning speed in order to charge himself with centrifugal force and kinetic energy, he suddenly cast the Corrosive Aura Spell and concentrated it on the blade of his scimitar. Greenish light glowed into the Southern Wing, one that would blind anyone looking at him.

A second later, he moved his scimitar in order to unleash the mightiest slash he ever saw, committing. The motion he practiced over a hundred thousand of times was flawless, with very little loss of energy, and his strength, coming from all over his body, was in this very attack. The sparrow specifically crafted to withstand Advanced-acolyte spells, received the blow…but the attack didn't stop and crashed on the walls, shaking the whole Ironcloud Base…and the Water Fortress.

[Beep! Name: Drodosis Thornfield (15-years-old, 3 months).

Intermediate Acolyte – Elite Knight

Evolution points – 790

HP – 45/45

Strength – 12 (+6)

Agility – 9 (+4)

Physique – 14 (+6)

Spirit – 9

Magic Power – 9 (+0)

Mana – 27 (+0)