Chapter 210 (2/2)

Basically, it was a skill that was not useful currently, when the output was only a 1% increase. Raising the skill to 20% would make it much more interesting. Then 50, or even 100, it would suddenly become a monstrously powerful skill.  Which was why, Randidly supposed, that the cost increase was so high. Because it was a skill that could be improved almost endlessly.

Already exhausted by the type of training that would be required to increase that skill, Randidly shook his head. Then he opened his Paths back up and put the remaining 30 points into Initiate of Ash. Unfortunately, there were no 10 point bonuses, so his 30 PP sank into the Path without any noticeable change. And also still a bit less than 20 short of when he would get another bonus from his Soul Skill.

Randidly walked to the window. It was almost dawn, and he would have some time after that to return to the testing arena. He briefly considered studying Engraving some more, but although the Belt would make that much easier, Randidly wasn’t really in the mood.

So he left his room and walked upstairs towards the training area. Unsurprisingly, there were people in this world that were there at dawn, seeking perfection in the spear. A large man wielding a “spear” that looked to Randidly to be more similar to a lamp post than a weapon, and there was also the aged instructor and his youthful charges that Randidly had seen previously.

Ignoring them, Randidly removed his large obsidian spear from his inventory and walked over to a corner. There was a lot that Randidly had gained from the previous night, in terms of skills and knowledge. Perhaps there would be another time when he stopped and tried to categorize it all, but for now, he was more concerned with just moving.

He performed the different movements given to him by the Turtle man long ago, that became the foundation of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil. Randidly moved through his different practice forms for the Spear Phantom Style. His movements became quicker and quicker, more violent and fierce, the longer he practiced.

There was still a spark in his chest remaining from the Challenge of Tarnak, the feeling of being stifled and forced to sit still and endure. But that spark quickly fell on the tinder of all of Randidly’s frustrations and suspicions in regards to the creature. Now, he was abandoned with far more questions than he had begun with. How much was true? How much was false? How much of this did the creature plan….?

As Randidly’s speed increased, he didn’t notice that the large man had noticed him, and had ceased in his own training to stare at him. The old man with his children were staring slack jawed. All that Randidly could sense was his own anger, and increasingly, the pumping power of Aether flowing through his body.

It was definitely far more active now than it had ever been in the past. The flows out to his four blessed individuals increased the speed that it could be moved, and even more than that, it seemed far more responsive to his will.

So Randidly began to throw out Phantom Onslaughts, absolutely pouring himself into the furious barrage of blows. Again and again he threw more and more and more, the air around him humming with the swift passage of his large spear in such a short amount of time. There was no target, just an outlet to his frustrations.

Time stretched on, and the disbelief in the large man’s eyes grew more profound, as this spear user with the obsidian spear in front of him seemed to have limitless stamina and willpower. The large man’s hands tightened around his own weapon and he turned away, his shoulders squared. Truly, that was the path of a spear user, and he didn’t have time to gawk like this.

The old man and the kids didn’t have the same competitive instincts, and continued to stare, mesmerized by the movements. It was only after 7 or so minutes of that that Randidly finally ran out of Stamina, and was forced to stop, lowering his shoulders, his chest heaving.

In a way, he felt better, but in another way, he didn’t. It was so much effort for nothing.

‘Well, not nothing…’ Randidly thought, noticing he had gained 2 Skill Levels in Phantom Onslaught, and 1 in Secondwind. But it wasn’t the feedback that Randidly had wanted to receive. He wanted an answer, a satisfying direction. He wanted…

“Hmph, so you have time to be lazy, do you disciple? I suppose you are satisfied that you survived through the first round of the preliminaries, eh?”

Randidly slowly straightened and turned. Standing there, hands on his hips was Shal. And judging by his expression, he had been watching him for quite some time, and wasn’t very impressed by what he had seen.

Randidly’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing in response, but simply lowered his spear in Shal’s direction, aiming the huge obsidian weapon towards Shal’s heart. A small smile flickered to life on Shal’s lips.

“Perhaps you are learning, after all. Come.”