Chapter 1136 (1/2)

Randidly was surprised to find that Vualla wasn’t at her tent when he visited and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Well, it’s not like I expected her to wait around for my call after we kissed, but still… doesn’t she still need rest? She’s more of a training maniac than I am.

Shrugging, Randidly wrote a short letter to Vualla explaining some of the details he had learned about her from Ileot, leaving out the deal that Ileot wanted from Randidly in order to continue to support Vualla’s existence. After writing it, Randidly’s immediate impulse was to burn it and try and figure out a solution to it before he approached her with the truth.

But he still couldn’t forget that moment where Vualla straightened her spine and checked to see if he was okay, even as they were both realizing she might just be a creation of some powerful Nexus individual. She wouldn’t want him to hide the truth from her. Because if he wasn’t honest… how would they face down this world together?

Because that was the sentiment that had won the Grim Chimera over. That she was someone who would not balk just because their goal was impossible. And Randidly felt very warm when he focused on the two of them working together.

Afterward dropping off the letter, he quickly returned to his own tent; Randidly had some work to do.

In the darkness of his tent, Randidly began to plan how he would proceed. His immediate goal was to condense his own Fate so he could then help reshape Lady Iellaya’s Fate as he remade her Class. Which was already a complicated thing to say and vastly more difficult to manage to do. And double difficult to do it while surviving the attacks from the Nether King. And also while trying to navigate what to do about the duplicated Vualla toward whom Randidly had allowed himself to develop feelings.

Especially because Randidly had planned on doing all of these things while also using a Fate as the core for each of three images to vastly improve the power of the Fate that he would condense for himself. After all, Randidly believed that he had some fair knowledge of the inputs and shape of Nether Rituals that he could use to benefit. Of course, he didn’t really know what or how the Nether Rituals did sometimes, but that didn’t matter; the System was already providing the shape. Randidly just had to use his knowledge to fuel the Fate Ritual efficiently.

Although his original plan, the glove of the original Vualla for the Grim Chimera, could no longer be used, that didn’t mean Randidly didn’t have any ideas. It just meant that his ideas became a bit more… difficult to implement. It was possible that Randidly could obtain another Fate that could serve well enough, but that option became increasingly less appealing to him after studying the situation in his body.

No, the foundation of his Fate should mirror the current constitution of his body. Which mean that core of the Grim Chimera should be forged of Nether.

Which, again, was something that was far easier to say than it was to actually accomplish. Sitting in the darkened tent, Randidly spread both his real and metal fingers and pressed them against the dusty ground. Simply a Nether core wouldn’t have the weight to do what Randidly wanted and Randidly wasn’t proficient enough yet with Nether to accomplish much of anything else.

Although the biggest current limitation to Randidly moving beyond that was the fact that he was sitting at four true Nether cores and two dozen fake Nether cores without being able to condense a fifth. Because while the first true Nether core took three fakes, the second had taken six and the third took twelve. Now with twenty four, Randidly faced the ugly realization that he would probably need a few more before he could condense a fifth core. And if he wanted to make a sixth...

Of course, most of the issue now was that the area inside of him that was composed by Nether was simply growing too large. If he was a completely Aether-less being, likely 24 fake cores would have been enough to make a fifth true core. But with the small interference of Aether as two came into contact…

Grimacing, Randidly focus went inward and he began the annoying process of condensing a fake Nether core. It was a hassle to make more, but if he had no choice… Through his practice during his time alone in the Great Rift, Randidly had markedly improved his success rate. But it was a constantly adjusting process as Randidly had to take into account the density of the ambient Nether. One he had a knack of while on his Aether oasis in the Great Rift, but here on the frontlines…

Randidly failed once. He chewed his lip briefly but tried again. A failure in a new environment was to be expected.

When he failed for the second time, Randidly released a great breath and shook his head. Then, with workmanlike dedication, he started again.

It was when he failed the third time that Randidly began to suspect that something beyond the way he was attempting the process was wrong. Rather than continuing to try again, Randidly forced himself to relax and feel around with Nether Sensation to try and ferret out the problem.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 36!

Frowning, Randidly continued to scan the surrounding area. As he slowed down his heart rate, Randidly tried to follow every echoing ripple that spread through his internal Nether. The glowing mass of four bundles of Nether energy formed his core, and his physical form was the bubble. Everything within was isolated.