Chapter 1361 (1/2)

There was a brief instant, as Randidly had instinctively smashed downward with his fists, when Randidly felt a paradigm shift. In his movements, he broke past some sort of subconscious limit in what he could accomplish with his physical body. His Nether Brawn had truly manifested itself, shattering the surrounding crystal with prejudice.

Now, the crystal was obviously not a very structurally sound material, but the size of the effect that Randidly had generated spoke to the power surpassing that boundary would grant him. Finally, he had managed to bring his physical gifts to bear. And as he stood on that platform of roots and looked toward the distant depth of the hole he had created, he began re-examining the sensations. And when Randidly came to a conclusion as to the cause, it surprised him.

He had been able to exert such power because Randidly had truly believed such an effect could be achieved at that moment. It was the result of a subconscious image; that result was in line with what he could accomplish.

If Randidly couldn’t imagine what such uncontrollable physical gifts would look like, he should focus on what he knew, being a human, and up the base specs on which he was running. In this case, by pushing his heart rate upward beyond what a normal human could withstand toward what was possible with his high Vitality and Endurance.

Because the heart was the engine of the human body. If he could raise his heart rate to monstrous proportions, perhaps his monstrous physicality would finally feel right to Randidly. The engine would power all the machinery that had remained frustratingly underperforming thus far.

“Heh,” Randidly chuckled, looking down at the knuckles of his fists. One was black metal covered in white lines of energy and one was normal flesh. Both fists were his, through and through, fists that he had fought with for years. But looking back, with the strengthening of his images, he had started to dissociate with his own body as he had grown stronger. All his focus was geared toward sharpening his mind to impress his will on the world. It was no wonder that he was having difficulty controlling his physical power.

When was the last time he thought about what his human body was capable of…?

Randidly departed from the Danger Zone with his Fatepiece but didn’t return to Kharon or his island. He had learned his lesson from destroying the already very Broken Caverns; instead, Randidly headed deep into the vast grassland that Kharon was trooping across and set up a short term camp for himself.

Just as Randidly was about to begin his training, he received a reminder from Tatiana to make a decision on foreign policy toward the Blighted Paragon and his bubble city by tonight. Vye’s meeting had gone well, so they had a little bit more context in which to make that decision. That report was forward to Randidly, to peruse as he made his decision.

For now, Randidly set that issue to the side. He closed his eyes and released a breath. With Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil, he pulled down all of the surrounding grass to make a flat surface in a smaller area. Then, rather than beginning to train, Randidly produced some wood he had laying around in his interspatial ring and set about making a fire.

After the fire was created, he pulled out his new Engraved iron pan and made a mental note to ask Tatiana who had given it to him so he could thank them. Then his Grim Intuition billowed outward in a large area. Randidly quickly located a Level 70 Two-Headed Cobalt Adder nearby and directed Acri to go hunt their dinner. To which Acri responded in absolute delight; after all, it had been quite some time since Acri had been able to devour experience.

It shyly asked if it should only kill the one Two-Headed Cobalt Adder and Randidly could only roll his eyes.

While Acri excitedly took care of the meat, Randidly prepared to handle the other supplies. He continued adding fire until the heat reached a point that was satisfactory to him. Then, slightly amused at what he was about to do, Randidly produced his Philosopher’s Key and opened a portal back to Kharon. Specifically, to a roof above the main market square.

For whatever reason, people loved open-air markets, weather permitting. So although the square had originally been meant as a junction for industrial transportation, the rise of Engraved platforms meant that it could be repurposed. In the last month, the area had bloomed from several shops with outdoor seating areas to the beating heart of the city’s merchants.

Randidly’s bare feet slapped against the shingled roof as he peered down toward the surging mass of people below. It was almost evening and most workers had just left their jobs and were either grabbing a bite to eat or gathering the ingredients to make dinner when they got home. As such, even the side streets and alleys around the wide market square were filled with squabbling and haggling. People had to shoulder past at least a half dozen discussions in order to find the product you wanted in the dense mess of hanging cookware, piles of fruit, and carefully displayed monster materials.

It was enough that Randidly blinked downward at the sheer about of heat and noise that wafted upward from the square. The appetizing aroma of sizzling oil and freshly seared meat mixed with the scents of fruits and spices. Children rushed wildly around the legs of adults, earning a tirade of curses, but no real retaliation as the adults barely had space to twist and glare.

For a second, Randidly considered disguising himself so he could quickly and easily buy some supplies without being noticed. But considering his track record of disguises in the past… Randidly had to admit it likely would be a waste of time. Besides, there was an easier method.

Randidly hopped down off the roof, landing lightly onto the edge of the fountain in the center of the square. Basically, Randidly had no choice in this matter; it was the only location with even the slightest bit of room.