Chapter 1166 (2/2)

Not that Skill Levels will be useful for a while, Randidly thought with a shake of his head. He had grown spoiled on the bonus from this Soulskill. Racking up Skill Levels individually just seemed so incredibly inefficient by comparison.

With a groan, Randidly sat up and stretched. The bones of his neck and shoulders popped pleasantly as he moved his torso through some basic stretches. Then he laid back down and sunk into a restful meditation. The fact that Randidly had been pulled to a location of Kharon’s choosing wasn’t just a coincidence, it was clear that the death of Aldo had a profound effect on the city. It was their first real loss. The first sign that the Order Ducis wasn’t invulnerable.

The city needed to come to terms with what happened. Their images had grown powerful on that necessity.

So Randidly had held back for a while, allowing the images of his people to rail against him. He had endured their pain, given them the space to grieve. Then, as Randidly swept outward with his Willpower and obliterated their resistance, he delivered the harsh message that these people needed to hear: A tragedy. A genuine cause for sadness. But so what?

Has one tragedy broken your resolve?

Does your dream of protecting our Earth wither after the first loss?

As always, Randidly had plundered a small portion of their mental potency in the proceeding. The grogginess at the edges of his mind right now was part of that process, where the broken and exhausted portions of his own will could be slowly supplemented by the pieces that he had obtained in the Eidolon Crucible. A repeated breaking and reforging.

Truly a crucible.

So Randidly slowly recovered, taking his time to restore his mental edge to its peak.

With five and a half hours to go until his promised meeting with Lord Miln, Randidly slowly came back to himself and let his breath hiss through his teeth. Although he still wasn’t exactly strapped for time, Randidly was unsure about the difficulty in crafting the Fate that he wanted. Which ignored the fact that he hadn’t really gotten to where he wanted with any of his foci.

Them being poised to be finished was not the same as them being finished. So Randidly hopped to his feet and wasted no further time in turning his attention toward the Paths he intended on finishing.

First, the biggest swing of all. The Growth of Yggdrasil Path, costing Randidly 2000 PP, netting him 2 Vitality, 2 Resistance, 2 Intelligence, and 2 Free Stat points every 50 PP spent on the Path.

Congratulations! You have completed the Growth of Yggdrasil III Path! Originally Yggdrasil was limited in its growth by the distance you had traveled, but you somehow found the great capability to surge forward, leaving Yggdrasil in the dust. As such, the bonuses from accomplishing the Path have grown into a lush fruition

Growth cannot occur without the passage of time, just as depth cannot exist without experience. No quality can replace tempering. You walk on a path at once familiar and strange. It will lead you ever upward, heading toward the limit of your being. It grows along with your spine and reaches upward along with your limbs. May you find the Path forward eternally smooth.

Congratulations! You have gained 200 free stats as a bonus for your own growth! +100 to Vitality, Endurance, and Resistance.

Congratulations! Your Skills the Deific Mien of Yggdrasil (L) and the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil (L) are beginning to stir as your growth allows them to truly reach their full potential!

Congratulations! Your Skill Deific Mien of Yggdrasil has evolved into the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis (M)! All Skill Levels will be maintained.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil has evolved into the Implacable Price of Exodus (M)! All Skill Levels will be maintained.

Randidly felt the change from finishing the Path flicker across all of his Skills, but it was those two that warped beyond recognition in a flash of heat and energy. In his chest, as the new Inscrutable Mien of Genesis began to stir, the vision of a golden apple with an eye drawn across it appeared fully formed before Randidly. It was difficult to tell if the eye was open or closed, or simply waiting.

As for the Implacable Price of Exodus… a terrible specter stalked the infinite boughs of the World Tree. It was a creature with too many legs sticking out at weird angles and only one mouth, one vast enough to swallow all the lights in the sky.

All it needed was to be freed in order to destroy the careful order that had allowed the universe to persist for this long.