Chapter 1589 (2/2)

The notification brought Randidly back to himself, where he then rubbed his chin and wandered back over to the lit stove. He drizzled oil into the pan to heat while producing some meat and vegetables from his interspatial ring. In this case, he wasn’t going to bother with any fancy recipes; he would fry everything up in an enormous iron wok and then just devour it all. He might even make seconds for himself.

Still feeling exhausted, Randidly’s attention turned to the eviscerated Aether defenses he had erected around his portion of the Fifth Cohort Rally Station. Most of the anchors he had left had been smashed to bits. In addition, the arrays around his personal training areas had been methodically demolished. Randidly pressed his lips together into a thin line as he tossed onions and peppers into the pan. It seems like Commandant Wick wasn’t just willing to take Heiffal’s word for it when he told him I wasn’t present…

Still feeling fuzzy, it was difficult for Randidly to feel too worried about the dangerous Commandant. Part of it was his growth and part of it was how distant the threat currently felt. He dumped the raw pork into the pan with the vegetables and began stirring the concoction around. In fact, it was difficult to force his body to wait until the food was fully cooked to begin eating. Very quickly, Randidly decided that his stomach could handle just about anything, so he used the spatula to shovel the piping hot food into his mouth.

I planned on improving my training array anyway, so I guess it really doesn’t matter… Soon, Randidly finished the meal and licked his lips. He produced more meat and vegetables, heating more oil for his next serving. This time, he would likely have enough patience to fully cook the food before eating. Randidly raised his gaze and peered through the wall toward the edges of his domain. But I should work on the defenses as soon as possible… I’m definitely stronger, but I don’t want to find out exactly how strong I’ve become by immediately fighting someone like Velio Dunn…

But he also couldn’t deny that even through his exhaustion, the wild part of himself raised his head and grinned at the prospect. But the restored Soulbound connection quickly restrained those impulses with Neveah’s reasonable approach.

Randidly continued to make vague plans while finishing the prep and devouring his second, giant-sized helping of food. Although he wasn’t truly full, he did feel a great bit of satisfaction from the warm sustenance in his stomach. Then he walked into his room and laid down on a bed he had never truly used before and closed his eyes.

Randidly Ghosthound breathed out a long breath, as though he could shed his worries just by exhaling them.

Sleep took him immediately. It came softly and buoyed him away to a dreamless silence, where all the accumulated mental fatigue Randidly had built up from near five years of training, the latter portion without any rest whatsoever, could finally begin to heal. Randidly’s breathing became increasingly even as tension seemed out of his muscles and joints.

His heartbeat slowly by powerfully, as though the force of its contractions could refine and enhance Randidly’s blood.

One by one, Randidly’s three images settled into a relatively deep slumber as well. Their edges turned foggy and their cores began to churn. Thin threads of Nether stretched from Randidly’s Nether Core to all three. Each had been changed during the time in the shaft, but there was never an opportunity to stabilize and reinforce those changes. In addition, Randidly’s massive growth in his understanding and use of emotions hadn’t truly begun to influence those images.

From those blurry edges, viciously sharp details began to emerge. The heart and soul of each of the images began shining with radiant emotions.

The changes didn’t stop with Randidly’s images. With this long-awaited rest, the various abilities that Randidly had gathered during his frenetic time in the shaft subconsciously began to gather and weave together. His confused senses gradually brought themselves back into alignment. As he slept, Nether and Aether began mirrored flows of each other, gradually changing his physical body.

Even as his heart began to pound more loudly and Randidly’s eyelids twitched, he remained in that coma-like sleep. A strange energy field seeped outward through his person as both Aether and Nether circulated through him.

The blankets on his bed burned away as the ethereal flames of Weight that he could now wield began to unconsciously manifest. The bedframe underneath Randidly creaked and groaned. As the Weight was more fully released, tremors ran through the air from Randidly’s body. His heartbeats seemed to echo to fill the whole room. His powerful Weight seemed to grip the air. The entire building beneath him began to tremble.

With the dramatic sound of a tree hollowed out by forest fire collapsing in a charred clearing, on his first night in this new bed frame, the piece of furniture steadily cracked and disintegrated beneath him. Now on the floor, the still sleeping Randidly stretched and rolled over to find a more comfortable position.

The plush carpet near Randidly’s body began to sizzle and wither. Luckily, Randidly woke before the situation could escalate much further. As he opened his eyes, he found three notifications waiting for him.

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

Congratulations! Your Skill Absolute Timing (Ru) has grown to Level 183!

That’s another PP. Less than forty more before the tithe. Randidly thought with a grin. Then he realized the situation and glanced around him. His bed had vanished, leaving only scraps of fabric in the surroundings. Somehow, he had created a bald spot on the carpet.

But before he could investigate the situation in detail, his Grim Intuition told him why he woke up after only seven hours, though his body might prefer to sleep for an entire day.

Commandant Wick had once more returned to the Fifth Cohort Rally Station. With a groan, Randidly got to his feet.