Chapter 1383 (2/2)

The one benefit was that the drawer of the Engraving wouldn’t need to worry about the images for any of the warped patterns. If the Living Engraving was working properly, the Engraving would take care of the image by itself.

Which, Randidly reflected, was a slightly disturbing thought. But it was proof that it deserved the moniker ‘Living’ Engraving.

From his position sitting on the flat center of his island, Randidly glanced upward. Almost six hours had passed since the Xyrt Brigade had arrived. The sky was darkening. So with a shrug, Randidly produced some old training spears and began to experiment. He had almost reached the limit of just examining Neveah’s notes anyway.

Following Yystrix’s method was just as difficult and frustrating as Randidly had expected. The depth of the Mana on each of the strokes needed to be precisely uniform. In addition, he needed a lot of experience to understand how the Mana depth would warp the shape of the Engraving as it spread. So most of Randidly’s earlier attempts resulted in useless pieces of equipment that were so flooded with volatile Mana that they cracked and shattered.

But Randidly kept working.

Congratulations! Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways (M) has grown to Level 265!

Congratulations! Your Skill Experienced Creator’s Ingenuity (A) has grown to Level 99!

Time continued to ceaselessly flow forward. The surrounding night deepened, leaving Randidly’s face illuminated solely by the glow of energy from the sputtering and failing Engravings in front of him. From time to time he looked upward at the powerful signs of fighting above, but then he quickly returned to his work.

As time passed, his glances upward turned increasingly infrequent.

When he couldn’t understand the memories Neveah provided, Randidly experimented. When he was frustrated with his lack of success with his experiments, he returned to the memories. As he did so, a general sense of catharsis overtook him.

Whether it was potion making, farming, or refining metals, Randidly always found the strangest sense fulfillment while performing crafting activities. Truly, in another life, one where he hadn’t encountered Shal, Randidly wasn’t sure what sort of Class he would have obtained. Because nothing felt as natural as making and growing something meaningful.

He supposed that was why the World Tree had been his first image.

Yet Randidly always forgot how fulfilling it was whenever he turned his back on the activity, so he rarely purposefully spent time on these pursuits; he only did it when necessary. Which was unfortunate, because it was immediately obvious to Randidly that focusing on the Engraving was rejuvenating him mentally.

Some hidden parts of Randidly’s heart that probably hadn’t stopped worrying since he had returned to Earth gradually stiffened and then relaxed as they were buoyed by the steady tasks of the Engraving. Clarity that he hadn’t noticed he was missing returned to him. Even without Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold active, the world seemed crisp before his gaze.

Randidly carefully dragged his fingers across the training spear in his hands, getting a better feel for how to deepen the Mana grooves that he was making with his Engravings. The Mana flowed through his limbs much more smoothly. Still, these small improvements weren’t enough for him to learn Living Engraving.

The spear trembled and then cracked in his hands. Ambient Mana blasted outward crackling harmlessly against Randidly’s body. Unperturbed, Randidly produced another training spear and began to work. This Engraving was much more successful than the previous one. Randidly was probably 90% finished with the Living Engraving when he made a mistake and the thing shattered. His Skill Levels gradually rose as his whole focus was consumed in the making.

Randidly took out another training spear. His fingertips tingled from the constant flow of Mana through them. Once more he got to work.

Congratulations! Your Skill Spriggit’s Tinkering (R) has grown to Level 162!

Congratulations! Your Skill Experienced Creator’s Ingenuity (A) has grown to Level 103!

Congratulations! Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways (M) has grown to Level 269!

This time Randidly completely finished the Engraving, but he could already sense slight imperfections in the depth of his Mana that would mean that the spear would shatter before the Engraving within it could grow to its full potential.

With a sigh, Randidly sat that spear to the side and reached into his interspatial ring for another training spear. Then he blinked. Huh… finally went through my entire stock of spare spears, huh…? I’ll have to talk to Tatiana…

Speaking of Tatiana, she had come up during his Engraving time and left a small box on the edge of his island. Randidly appreciated that she hadn’t interrupted him, but it now filled him with dread to look over toward the tedium that awaited him in the future. Because his Grim Intuition was only too capable of revealing the thick stack of papers waiting within that box.

But luckily for Randidly, that task would have to wait a while longer; something shifted in the battle above. The Nether faltered and then began to flee. Many of the powerful Xyrt Brigade members pursued, but the flying serpent twined away and then began to spiral down toward Earth.

In addition, Randidly received a message from Octavius; it was time for him to meet the Captain of the Smog Clan.