Volume 5 – Chapter 28 (in-editing v6)

Volume 5 – Chapter 28

(A quieter chapter this time, just fleshing out a few things, and announcing some of Micheal’s long term goals! – the next chapter will contain the Duke and his family’s interactions with Micheal at the Hyval Feast, a traditional feast held at the end of a Void Noble’s 8-day week.)

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Breathe in.

Breathe out.

‘Calm.’

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Micheal’s Ki fluctuated as he meditated, the warm energy flowing through his veins as he completed a cycle, circulating his Ki.

He was back in the guest quarters Vesper had provided them, after returning from his meeting with the Round Table. Shin was in the other room, both getting ready for the feast the Duke had invited them to.

'It's been a good day.' He'd successfully forged ties that he would need to rely on in the coming days while also informing Aaron of the threats they faced. Overall, he'd made some very important progress.

‘I’ve reached Mid Sky Tier.’ He flexed the depth of his Ki, letting the energy coil about him.

Obtaining the Body of a Grandmaster had accelerated his growth, helping him push forward, to recovering the strength from his previous life. The burgeoning energy felt incredibly comfortable as it flowed, passively enhancing his body.

This was an area where his future knowledge really shined.

Retreading the same path he had already stepped once was far, far easier than cultivating blindly.

‘The latent energy in the air is so much more dense.’ If he played his cards correctly, using every Artifact and trick in the book, he might be able to break into Lord Tier in a matter of weeks.

It was an absurd speed of cultivation, made possible only because Micheal had already obtained King Tier Ki in his first life. When you took that, and combined it with the multiple transformations he had undergone thanks to his Grandmastery, and general improvements to his Physique...

That experience provided the crucial links his body and Soul needed as it developed.

Any other person trying to cultivate at this speed would risk serious injury, to both their body and their Soul, and likely death. It was a feat only a Regressor could manage.

‘I need to keep pushing, for more.’ His eyes gleamed.

‘I should aim for the highest Tier.’

Mortal.

Earth.

Sky.

Lord.

King.

Emperor.

God.

The Tiers of Ki were separated by a stark hierarchy.

As one advanced their Ki, not only would their body grow, but so would their Soul.

‘The higher Tiers of Ki are insanely powerful.’

It was what set Ki apart from Mana, and a big reason why, even after learning he was talented when it came to controlling Mana, he made the decision to keep his Ki, opting only to form Mana Circles, and not a Mana Heart.

The sheer, raw power offered by the highest Tiers of Ki was simply incredible.

Mana Hearts, forged by complex Mana Breathing Methods, could grant any number of powerful, esoteric effects. This was a region where Mana really shined, the sheer complexity and depth therein was mind-boggling.

However…

When it came to raw output, Ki stood above and beyond the rest.

‘I got a taste of that with King Tier.’ His cultivation had been hard earned, obtained by using multitudes of Artifacts, Abilities, and really anything he could get his hands on in his first life.

By no means had he cultivated perfectly – in his first life, he’d lacked the expertise and knowledge he now possessed. His path to obtaining King Tier Ki was a shaky thing patchily held together by a stubborn body and Soul that refused to give up, and a hodgepodge of Abilities that supported him.

‘My Ironblood Body Type is probably the only reason I managed to hit King Tier in one piece.’ The Type Ability he had obtained in his first life had provided the bedrock upon which his Ki was built.

‘That, and Talos Mind Power.’

Micheal opened up the Shop, scrolling over until he found the Ability.

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— - Talos Mind Power — -

Talos Mind Power grants the user a spiritually enhanced mind, greatly enhancing concentration and empowering one’s spirit, as well as enhancing one’s memory.

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For a pricey 4,100,000 Points, it was this Ability that allowed him, a human with no privileged knowledge or experience, to obtain not only King Tier Ki but also achieve Grandmastery in his first life.

However…

‘I’m running out of Ability slots.’

It was one of the both upsides and downsides that came with obtaining Abilities or powers on your own – the Shop would adapt any power you obtained to suit your body and Soul, but in doing so, it would take up an Ability slot.

Micheal was under no illusions that his Eternal Mana Circles would’ve formed as smoothly and safely as they had, had they not been adapted through his Ability slots. The same applied for his Temporal Bubble Ability.

‘My Eyes of the Deep are an incredibly versatile tool.’ It would let him scan his enemies, to understand what kind of threat he was facing, as well as identify any Deities he might face up against. They could also be used to grasp the inner working of most Artifacts, an aspect Micheal had largely ignored up to this point.

This was the Ability he was most open to dropping, should he find an alternative way to maintain a perfect memory.

'Perhaps I could merge it with Talos Mind Power?' It was possible to merge similar Abilities, freeing up a slot, but there was no guarantee that these two powers would prove compatible.

‘Temporal Bubble is an Ability I’m only now beginning to advance.’ He was certain that if he mastered his newfound control of Time, he would be able to evolve this Ability into something greater.

The rest of his Abilities were not up for debate.

‘I need to plan for the long term, for my ultimate goal.’ Micheal nodded to himself, as he scrolled through the Shop, before landing on the one Ability he wanted, above all others, to obtain in the long-run.

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—-Abilities—-

Thunder Legs Type - 860,400 (4/5)

Armageddon Matrix Type - 25,250,000 (0/3)

Golden Shield Warrior Type - 500,000 (9/10)

Eldritch Snarer Type - 235,000 (5/5)

Red Orc Type - 88,000 (9,000/9,000)

Fire Weaver Type - 23,000 (1,200/1,200)

Void Ripper Type - 40,000 (10/10)

Shock Geniton Type - 1,800,500 (2/2)

Black Mace Type - 12,000 (330/330)

Quickstep Type - 280,000 (18/18)

Frozen Warrior Type - 70,000 (250/250)

Armor Force - 92,000 (30/30)

Healing Aura - 65,000 (800/800)

Immemorial Vision - 212,000 (14/25)

White Mane Clone - 74,000 (50/50)

Impact Release - 45,000 (20/20)

Guiding Light - 22,800,000 (0/1)

Expand - 65,000 (10/10)

Electric Touch - 80,000 (250/250)

Ocean Clone - 260,000 (35/35)

… (37/41 page)

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‘A lot of the Abilities have been bought out since I last checked.’ He noted. The Fourth Wave had seen a billion humans arrive on the First Layer – the rate at which Limited Abilities were being bought out had rapidly increased.

However, one Ability in particular on this list, remained unpurchased.

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Guiding Light - 22,800,000 (0/1)

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He pulled up the Ability’s description.

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— - Guiding Light — -

The user will be Guided by The Light.

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‘I need to save room to buy this Ability, at all costs.’ He stared at the rather bare-bones description, recalling memories from the first timeline as he sat, lost in thought.

This was one of the single most powerful Abilities listed in the Shop, and one of the options he was considering, for his final Ability slot.

Guiding Light was an Ability infamously bought by a human named Maximillian Frost. Presumably, that wasn’t his real name, but rather, a moniker he took up.

Maximillian was a serial killer.

In order to fund this incredibly expensive Ability, sometime around the end of the Fifth Wave, Maximillian would go on to kill thousands of people, a sizable fraction of which were his own fellow humans, just trying to survive.

And once he obtained this Ability…

Micheal closed the screen with a dark look.

The crimes he committed were unspeakable, not just on his fellow man, but on all the other species he encountered.

For every Jessica Wiles, every Aaron Bartram, every Yama that humanity possessed, heroes who put it all on the line for mankind, there always seemed to exist grim counterparts, like Maximillian Frost, who stood for nothing more than their own selfish desires and greed.

‘If only he had used that power to help humanity.’ There was so much potential lost, all because of the actions of one man.

Guiding Light was an Ability that, according to Dark Void’s research records, tapped into a ‘Conceptual Entity’ known only as ‘The Light.’

Everything Dark Void knew about this Ability was based on data obtained after Maximillian was eventually killed by the Titled Deity Navir, and their own observations of the many, many crimes perpetrated by the rogue human.

It was an Ability that let its user obtain ‘guidance’ on a Conceptual level.

Maximillian would ask his Ability how to accomplish a certain goal, and in turn, would be not only shown every step necessary to accomplish that goal, but guided through those steps.

He could ask his Ability ‘How do I kill this person while remaining undetected?’ and it would immediately begin guiding him, step by step, through the exact process he would need to follow to achieve that goal.

This ‘guiding’ process let the Ability assume automatic, perfect control, something Maximillian could disengage at any point in time, wherein the Ability actively controlled his body to follow the exact steps it outlined.

This Ability’s potential was almost limitless.

Maximillian used it to perform incredible acts, from murdering powerful individuals in full public view and escaping entirely unharmed, to robbing even the most closed guarded treasures from powerful rulers, to far darker deeds, crimes that violated the basic tenets of humanity.

When you could achieve almost any goal with complete assuredness, it was easy to see how a man of Maximillian’s disrepute could abuse such a power.

The Light’s ability to analyze, scan, and predict was simply unmatched, on every level. This was an Ability that was almost impossible to defend against, at its very core.

Maximillian Frost grew to immense infamy because of this, until he met his eventual demise at the hands of Navir.

‘How did he die to Navir? Does his Title interfere with the functions of the Ability?’ It was a mystery that remained unsolved, at least by the time Micheal died in his first life.

‘Regardless. I should begin planning for this now.’ The Points Wall on the Third Layer was measured in the low millions. It was only once he reached the Fourth Layer that he would stand a chance at obtaining this Ability, assuming his Soul was strong enough.

‘Obtaining this Ability would be incredibly helpful.’ It might be his ticket to the future, to combatting the monsters humanity was destined to face, and even beyond that, to solving the mystery that was the Final Layer.

Even if he didn't personally obtain it, he at least needed to prevent Maximillian Frost from getting it.

Micheal’s eyes twitched open as Shin teleported into the room, interrupting his thoughts.

Shin was dressed sharply, in the Void Noble’s equivalent of a green jacket, suit, and tie, a set of clothes that Vesper had gifted them out of pity. He had on a pair of fine dark boots, and long, silken black pants, dressed to the nines.

It was a similar outfit to what Micheal was wearing, except his own jacket was a colored light blue, matching his eyes. Colorful, flashy outfits were all the rage in Void Noble fashion, at least at this point in time.

“Yo – you ready to go? One of Vesper’s maids is at the door.” Shin spun around, his jacket twirling in the air as he teleported sporadically around the room.

“That fancy Noble chick is totally crushing on you, bro.” Shin offered his decidedly unsolicited opinion.

“Have you seen how she looks at you?”

“…I’m all set.” Micheal stood up, straightening his jacket with a nod as he ignored Shin’s remarks.

“Let’s go.” He walked over towards the door, pausing before he opened it as he looked back at Shin with a grin.

“It’s show time.”

Shin grinned back.

“Time to meet the family!”

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