Chapter 1706 (1/2)

Randidly felt like a bloated toad. His stomach clenched unpleasantly and he felt the powerful urge to retch into the void of space. He sympathized immensely for lazy anacondas, dragging their prey around inside of his stomach. Even as he persevered, his body rebelled against him in an extremely unusual way, demanding that he cease and desist this very instant. But he only gritted his teeth and allowed the process to continue.

He would not back down now.

Influence +2!

Influence +2!

Influence +1!

…

Damnit, why the hell is this absorption so horrible?!?! Randidly roared mentally. But despite the strange agony, he remained floating in space, not daring to spoil the process. Thick veins of Nether spread out from him, rippling under the influence of an invisible wind. This was already his third attempt at dragging this entire planet within his Alpha Cosmos. But Randidly knew from his shudder-inducing prior two attempts that the only thing worse than absorbing a planet into his body… was failing to do so halfway and having to forcefully expel a portion of it.

It was like vomiting up an organ and being able to feel it hanging in the uncaring universe when you walked away.

Lucky, the ‘reverberations’ from his failures had been mostly in the realm of Nether. His Nether Core had trembled and hummed like a car with a failing engine for a few days until the flaw had healed itself. Randidly wondered if the race of Flying Serpents on the planet's surface had noticed anything at all; his examination of the population on the surface detected no interruption of their daily life.

In addition, Randidly had learned several lessons about expanding the scope of the Nether Array from moon-sized to planet-sized. Even his tightly woven creation needed some additional reinforcement, to fully drag this massive planet into his body. That was why he had approached this third attempt with a bit more confidence.

Maybe… Randidly reflected sourly as his Nether Core continued to spin wildly. I… shouldn’t have started with… the largest of the planets…

Influence +2!

Influence +2!

Influence +3!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix (L) has grown to Level 355!

Randidly released another hissing breath as his tail traced several complex sigils in the air. The Nether Array around the planet tightened further, drawing it even more deeply to within Randidly’s Alpha Cosmos. He could feel it now, pressing against his chest, attempting to crush his body, the conduit, to its passage.

You cannot hold me, the planet seemed to say.

But Randidly’s body was powerful. Powerful enough to house a few worlds, for sure. Especially after being tempered so thoroughly by the powerful electromagnetic radiation of his Hierarchy of Burden.

Randidly shuddered as the planet shifted in significance. Part of the reason that he accumulated so much Influence during these episodes was some sort of alignment. He was not only pulling physical matter into himself, but also a whole host of hidden significance that had been squished by the System limitations into the surrounding area. Now he had to drag out all that ‘wiring’ and absorb it into himself.

Randidly wiped some sweat off his forehead with a twitching hand. Nothing… can ever be easy, huh…?

There was another painful shift as the planet was dragged another small step into his person. Randidly gritted his teeth. His tail accelerated, manipulating more and more Nether to urge the process along. But ultimately… he was somewhat helpless. This was just not something that could be rushed.

Congratulations! Your Skill Precise Nether RItual (L) has grown to Level 378!

Influence +2!

Influence +2!