Chapter 244 (2/2)

But what seemed to catch Randidly’s attention the most was the fact that most of his little Soul Skill creatures seemed interested in him, their creator. It was simultaneously adorable and creepy. So Randidly almost wanted to give them some sort of… proof. Something to confirm he existed, and was aware of them. But he was rather mystified over how to go about it.

Based on his previous experience, Randidly decided to use only a few skills; he chose to add Hammer of the Dawn and Superiority. But he concentrated both of them to an incredible degree, causing all of the energy from his additions to be forced into a single, physical form, one for each skill.

The Hammer of the Dawn naturally formed into a hammer. Superiority condensed into a scepter. The two split and descended into the world as comets, one crashing into the great river that ran across his world, while the other smashed a mountain peak.

Immediately after doing this, Randidly felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. “Ah… they are probably going to fight over those, aren’t they? I should have done 4…”

Still, it was too late now. Randidly felt his skill shifting, changing in new ways. The Swamplings began to investigate the hammer, while both the Spriggits and the Earth Golems moved to see the crater of the scepter. That would definitely end up being a war, if they both arrived at the same time…

Maybe the fighting would strengthen his Soul Skill…? But something told Randidly that wouldn’t be the case.

Randidly had 1 more PP required to finish the path, and he took a deep breath before he put it in. Then he released that breath, and steadied his gaze. He didn't’ feel great about doing this with his left arm still sore, but it shouldn’t impede him, should he be required to fight. In the menu, Randidly added the final PP to the Initiate of Ash II Path.

Congratulations! You have completed the Initiate of Ash IIPath! You have ascended to the top of the mountain, and you find a face, carved of molten stone and burning flame. It smiles at you.

Randidly felt a familiar tug at his stomach, and the world around him warped. After a second, the twisting stopped, and Randidly stood on the flat top of a mountain, that gigantic, living lava face hanging over him, lava dripping out of the corners of his mouth and pooling on the ground. Around them, in the distance, there was only ash, dust, volcanoes, and plumes of lava. It was truly a world of ash and destruction.

“This… is simple enough, even for one such as yourself… without a class…” The Patron of Ash said, slurring its words. Randidly solemnly looked up at it. Based on the information he had obtained earlier, he had expected to contact the Patron of Ash, but not be teleported back to the world of ash. Every resource he or Claptrap could find was very clear on that.

And yet he was still brought here. That… was slightly alarming.

Standing at the edge of the platform, Randidly was prepared to once more fight the lava golems. What he didn’t expect was for the ground around him to slowly fall away in rings. The space where Randidly was standing was safe, but the rest continued to descend. Then a ring nearest to the outside stopped, then the next nearest to the outside stopped, which continued until a large coliseum was formed.

But the central area continued to sink, revealing a crimson and black sphere. The colors swirled, and as Randidly continued to watch it, it seemed that it was in fact a crimson crystal, filled with a black liquid, that squirmed around inside the sphere. Immediately, as the sphere rose into the area, the temperature rose.

At a speed that was slightly alarming, the lower levels of the rings began to glow red… and then slowly melt.

“Your task… is to proceed to the third innermost ring….” The Patron of Ash intoned, floating down towards Randidly. Randidly spared it a glance.

It was truly strange to be back here, after so long. But being back here brought back some memories. This mother fucker was definitely going to try and kill him. Even though Randidly was clearly aware of that, the stated goal was rather simple, so there was no reason why not to aim for it. Especially since the temperature appeared to only be increasing, due to the presence of the sphere…

Randidly almost wished it was going to be Lava Golems. If they were at a similar level to what they were previously, it would be child’s play to defeat them. But somehow, Randidly suspected it wasn’t going to be that easy.