Chapter 1660 (2/2)

Randidly wasn’t surprised that his first attempt was rather poor. The pocket was barely large enough to cover a building and collapsed at the slightest eddy of Aether. It was a failure on multiple fronts. But it was only the first attempt.

With the next ten attempts, Randidly addressed the problem of collapse; all his efforts would be useless if random Aether could disturb the working. And the problem wasn’t even antagonistic Aether: any passing image user would release an aura that could steadily destabilize the pocket. Randidly suspected that even the energy-starved individuals on the planet’s surface would eventually tear flaws into this sort of shoddy workmanship just by going about their daily lives.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 431!

The rather clumsy blades that the Grim Chimera had for fingers were still a problem, but repetition eased some of the jerkiness to the movements. In terms of addressing the instability, Randidly drew inspiration from the tightly layer spatial walls that Commandant Wick had created to diffuse the power of the Nether King. But in this case, Randidly used the same methods to create some separability to the Nether Ritual, so it could endure and recover from the influence of Aether.

Randidly breathed in deeply and made another attempt.

Congratulations! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 267!

Congratulations! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 268!

Randidly examined the resulting pocket of Nether and could only chuckle; he still had a long way to go. The principle was right, but the execution was still lacking. He finally put those razor-sharp fingers of the Grim Chimera to good use and diced what he had created to pieces. Then he rolled his shoulders, snorted out a breath, and returned to the process of creation. His Nether Core began to spin just a little bit faster.

He started again. He finished again. When it wasn’t perfect, Randidly destroyed and rebuilt the Nether pocket. Over and over, as the two days until the duel ticked away.

In subtle ways that he didn’t even notice until they accumulated, his movements became more smooth. The vicious edges of his hands weren’t softened, but they definitely didn’t move in such unimaginative ways any longer. The flow of Nether out of his body and into a Nether Ritual gradually gained familiarity. The brittle ruts that his image had created, in which it had intended to stay, were gradually weakened and broken down. A glimmer of life flashed in the eyes of the Grim Chimera as it continued to carefully sculpt Nether.

Congratulations! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 269!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 432!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 287!

After making a workable seal that would isolate the world, Randidly had to turn to the main problem: how to scale up the envelope to surround a whole world. Unfortunately, his first few experiments rapidly ran into a new problem: he didn’t have enough high-quality Nether to work for a time period long enough to create what he wanted. Randidly frowned and allowed the Grim Chimera to fade away; this was a more serious issue, without an easy solution.

He could stockpile Nether beforehand, but it would be a rather slow process. That could likely be addressed by going into the shaft and consulting with the Nether Gatekeepers, but that wouldn’t help him with the mental energy required to arrange everything.

In a way, Randidly was starting to understand why the Nether King made use of those inexplicably forming bits of energy and using complex patterns to move them. You needed to figure out how to generate the patterns to begin with, but once the thing was in motion, all you needed to do was manipulate it.

Randidly shook his head. “I’m a bit away from managing something like that though… guess I’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way…”

Checking the time, Randidly didn’t attempt to weave an envelope again; he simply stood at the edge of this planet’s atmosphere and looked down at the surface. He could see their small villages with their even smaller envies and fears. He could see the young women and men of the planet starving for Aether, doing their best to train their bodies efficiently while not being a burden on their families. He could see the chokehold that the Nexus had placed on the planet, making it almost impossible to ever escape from their predicament.

With a sharp gaze, Randidly turned away and opened a portal back to the Frost Matriarch’s hideout. He fucking needed a shower right now, before the duel.

And after that, he could really use the duel. Randidly Ghosthound was not in a good mood.