Chapter 164 (2/2)

Warning, creation of a skill with insufficient fuel will lead to death. Do you wish to proceed? Y/N

Randidly smiled and clicked yes. More notifications popped up. But the one at the top was what he was waiting for. The guards were now hacking through the Walls of Thorns, and the mustached man continued to fight, attacking them while they were distracted, trying to keep them away from the portal. He was strong, but so were they, and they had numbers. More guards rushed up from below.

But the distraction was coming.

Warning, you have tread too long on the Path of the Heretic. Although you endured through the previous Judgement, no longer will it be so simple. Heretic X is now open to you. For this, you must face Judgement. Due to your affiliation with the Patron of Ash, the Judgement of the Patron of Frostbite descends. Know that even if you endure through the Judgement, more will follow. Proceed directly to the nearest Village and speak with the Spirit to repent.

Due to this being your second infraction, the Judgement’s power shall be greatly increased, closer to its power on its home world.  The minions of Judgement will spawn endlessly. When you die, a high level dungeon will be created from your corpse. Rejoice.

Randidly frowned, and spit on the ground. When he died, huh…? The clouds above started to darken and swirl, and there was an immediate drop in temperature. Fucking Patron of Frostbite.

But Randidly’s eyes went on to the other notifications.

Congratulations! Your own personal skill has been created. You have created the skill The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil (A) Lvl 1. Due to proceeding to a different Cohort than your home planet to create the skill, all bonuses associated with the record of creating an Ancient skill are lost.

The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil (A) Lvl 1: Your legs are the roots that connect you to the fires of the world. Passive Effects: Knockback and stun resistance greatly increased per skill level. Mana Regeneration increased while touching the ground. Effect increases with skill level. The effectiveness of each point of Vitality towards Health Regeneration increases while touching the ground. Effect increases with skill level. Active Effects: Costs 50 Stamina per second. The passive effects are doubled. Offensive and defensive physical skills are slightly more powerful. Effect increases with skill level.

Randidly breathed in and out, feeling it. Even now, without the skill active, he could feel small golden tendrils, running up from the ground, through the building, and to his bare feet, filling him with life and energy. Increased Health Regeneration and Mana Regeneration, huh…? And it seemed like the health regeneration bonus was based per point of Vitality, so it was a much more powerful thing, and would improve with the skill level, and with increases in Vitality.

But increased Mana Regeneration all the time would also be extremely useful, especially for training. Especially combined with Meditation-

Randidly’s thoughts were cut short as a guard ripped through a nearby Wall of Thorns, cursing. The man didn’t appear to see him, likely due to the continued influence of the shadow engraving, and Randidly also had something he wanted to test out. Randidly lowered his stance, switching the skill to its active component. Immediately, those thin golden tendrils of energy thickened and swelled, rushing up towards him through his feet.

At the same time, his legs began to trembled from the exertion of staying in such a posture. Raising his spear, Randidly used the Inevitable Phantom Arrives. Hopelessness filled the air, a layer of bitter frustration. Clocks began to tick, and the guard looked up, finally noticing, his face twisted in confusion. But then he saw Randidly’s mother, half of her face ripped and rotted away, smiling sweetly, and his eyes became filled with horror.

She drifted forward, and Randidly’s large obsidian spear ripped forward, filled with the inevitable power of time. Gritting his teeth, the man shifted, raising his spear in a defensive posture, but Randidly felt those golden rivers of power rushing up through his feet move to his spear point, concentrating there. Their weapons crossed, and there was a sudden gasp as Randidly’s thrust shattered the man’s spear.

He watched, shocked, as the attack penetrated his chest, ripping through his heart. Immediately, his eyes dimmed, and the man slumped downward.

Chest heaving, Randidly shakily stood, taking off the active effects of the skill. Based on the speed of the response, Randidly guessed that the guard was actually quite similar in skill to himself. Not an Artisan yet, but with high stats and skill levels. But, with Randidly’s skills, with one attack...

Randidly had realized before how important skills were. But finally, after all this time, he made the logical connection with how everyone else struggled to make skills, and this Aether within him, freezing cold and scalding hot, and singing with a strange ethereal energy, made it simpler for him to create his own skills.  If he could continue to create powerful skills with it…

But then a beam of pure frigid energy crashed down, hitting the top of the tower and destroying most of his Wall of Thorns, and Randidly was forced to focus on more immediate matters.