Chapter 202 (1/2)

First, Randidly settled himself and focused on recovering his Health, Mana, and Stamina to their ideal state. He even considered going outside, to have Weeping Cloud’s rain fall on him, increasing his mental recovery even further, but somehow Randidly was profoundly worried about being discovered at the moment.

If perhaps Shal was here….

But Randidly quickly crushed that train of thought. He would be fine. His mind was already sharper than it had ever been before with the addition of the belt, and he wouldn’t need the support of anyone else for this. In the back of his mind, he knew this outlook was foolish, but he was blinded by fury over the irresponsibility of Shal’s behavior, so he continued irregardless.

When his breathing was even, and he felt completely focused, Randidly finally opened his menu and looked at the PP he had earned over the latter part of the Challenge of Tarnak.

He had gained 4 more Skill Levels in Physical Fitness, 9 in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Mana Strengthening, 3 in Empower, 7 in Rejection and Absolute Control: Freeze, 4 in Meditation and Second Wind, 3 in Superiority and Bacterial Regeneration, 10 in Struggle, and 1 in Root Control.

It was overkill for a single PP to complete a path, but it was something Randidly was glad about. Hopefully after… there would be a path worth moving towards. After another breath, he put the last PP into the Weeping that Falls Like Rain Path, completing it.

Congratulations! You have completed the Weeping that Falls Like RainPath! The path is long and winding, and you feel completely separated from the world around you, isolated by curtains of falling rain. The only constant presence is your reflection in the puddles that surround you. But still you step forward through it, regal and proud. As you continue, your mental acuity continues to grow. This is your path. Willpower +5, Resistance +5, Reaction +20. You also obtain a powerful shard of energy that can be used to create a Soulskill, or merged with your current skill.

The stat completion bonuses were nice, but they were ultimately a small thing. What was important was that newly awakened form of energy, the cool blue energy, floating inside of Randidly’s chest. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and touched it.

It began to vibrate slowly, and inside of his inner world, a resonance emerged. Those tiny bells began to ring. It was a slow thing, as the tiny bells around the icy murderous energy, and then the small sphere of energy began to ring. Then, ponderously, the larger bell that was attached to his Soul Skill began to ring with huge, ringing booms, its sound spreading through Randidly’s whole being. The noise set his teeth on edge, but he could only grit his teeth and endure.

This was still within expectations. He knew that this would set off a process within himself, just that-

Randidly blinked. What he didn’t expect was for a figure to slowly take shape before his very eyes. Long limbs, smooth skin, big, round eyes. A female form slowly condensed in his chest, starting as just a doll, but slowly coming alive, lifting its head and looking at him. But even then, it didn’t stop. Aether swirled and moved, shifting into shapes and being drawn into that body. And the more Aether it absorbed, the more real it became.

The bells continued to ring, and the body became more real, and Randidly clenched his fists powerfully. So this… this was the architect of all of this bullshit? Although she was clearly feminine, her hair was completely shaved, giving her a strange, childlike innocence. Her eyes were extremely large, but even more strangely, they were completely robin’s egg blue, a solid sheet of it.

Her first action, as the last bit of Aether curled in and completed her body, was to take in a large breath. Then she smiled. “Wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful. I’ve waited a long time for a man like you, Randidly Ghosthound.”

Randidly remained silent, sizing her up. Her voice was light, but he couldn’t relax around a woman who so naturally shaped Aether in the way she had just demonstrated. And besides, now that he finally found himself face to face with the being that had interfered with the way that the System worked on him, he found her to be more and less than he expected.

More human, almost familiar in a way.

Less approachable, as her casual demonstrations of mastery over Aether left him shocked and intimidated.

“But I know you. I’ve been watching you. You are happy, yes? But you must believe me, we are after the same thing; saving humanity from the catastrophe known as the System. Is that not correct? Is that not what you want?”

Randidly stirred, but still said nothing, looking at the creature in front of him. She laughed lightly, and began to walk towards him with extremely heavy steps that coincided with the ringing of the large bell that locked his Soul Skill away.

“Do you fear me?”