Chapter 32 - LOT [Unedited]

Chapter 32 - LOT

In the beginning, there was nothing.

The Creator saw this, and he was displeased.

So from the empty void, he created life.

—- Excerpt from the Myriad Prophecies, Author unknown

The flow of time is that of an endless, sweeping river. Inevitable, with twists and turns no man could suspect. A river that carries with it great hope, and, at the same time, great despair.

Intertwined with the river of time are the strands of destiny and fate. Each one a mystery, a tapestry of the unknown. One strand leads to many and many to all, a confusing, haphazard creation that no man can see through.

In that deep mire of fate and time, one single strand of fate struggled onward, pushed forward by a courage and determination strong enough to, perhaps, break free of the flow of time, and forge destiny anew.

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Around 3 Years Later

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A warm breeze rustled the barren wilderness, the sway of heavy branches moving in the hot air. Odd chirps and crackles rang out, the sounds of the landscape and animals in the Magma Lands echoed.

Jack carefully raised a hand to his forehead, wiping off a sheen of sweat as he controlled his breathing, looking at the target before him. He wielded his golden sword Wyrmblight, feeling its reassuring weight rest in his palm.

He was standing atop one of the thick, large trees that dotted the Magma Lands, concealed against the side of the ash stained trunk. He wore a jacket camouflaged with grey and red, blending him in with his surroundings. The tree he stood on was in the midst of a large valley.

Below Jack, a large, brown fur covered bison snorted two jets of fire, steam rising from its body. Two yellow horns gleamed dully on either side of its head, emanating a sense of fiery heat. The bison was resting under the tree Jack was on, leaning against it. Despite that, it maintained a keen sense of alertness even as it rested, its body tense. Jack had hidden himself in the tree ahead of time, having scouted this location out before.

It was a Yellow Horned Bison. A powerful Spirit Beast renowned for its exceptionally tough hide, and its valuable horns, a unique treasure useful in the creation of Artifacts of various types, as well as in alchemical medicines. The beast was huge, standing nearly five meters tall, and almost twice that in length.

In the time Jack had spent with the Space Clan, he had learned a great deal about the world around him. One of the interesting facts that set the Space Clan apart from the outside world was there expansive stores of knowledge on Spiritual Beasts and Gem Beasts.

Many thousands of years ago, a group of experienced and wizened scholars had grouped together to formally rank the danger of each beast. This was referred to as the Sacrom Ranking, after the Space Lord Sacrom, the man who had commissioned the group of scholars to make the list. The powerful Space Lord was known to have been detail oriented, demanding everything be classified in a relatable way. The list itself took dozens of years to perfect, and had been passed down in completion ever since.

On the Sacrom Ranking, the first 88 Beasts were a list of the 88 known types of Gem Beasts in existence. Other extremely rare Gem Beasts existed apart the 88, but these rare types of beasts often only could be seen a single time, never reappearing after their death. The Original 88, as they were called, were beasts that continued to exist, new ones arising when the older ones died.

Many theories were debated on why the Original 88 continued to exist, from the supporters of Mysterious Fate Theory, to those arguing for some type of mystic predisposition.

Jack had spent hours pouring over these fascinating arguments, his mind always eager to learn.

The first 88 beasts on the Sacrom Ranking were Gem Beasts, and in a class of their own. Thus, the remaining beasts started a second list on the same Sacrom Ranking. Nearly 12,000 beasts were recorded in this ranking, complied from across all four of the continents.

Those in the top 10 were monstrously powerful, rivaling Gem Beasts. Those in the top 100 were extraordinarily strong, and would require an elite team of powerful Rank A Hunters to contend with. Those in the top 1,000 were deadly, but could be challenged by a powerful Rank A Hunter on his own.

The Yellow Horned Bison was ranked 3,386th on the Sacrom Ranking, chiefly because of the creatures high durability, and deadly horns. Beasts around this level on the Sacrom Ranking would usually require a team of skilled Rank B Hunters to defeat, or a regular Rank A Hunter.

Jack closed his eyes for a brief second, focusing.

Deep within his soul, a Spirit Pool glimmered. This blue Pool of energy was almost fully formed, with only the edges still showing signs of a Spirit Circle. From his intensive practice and study over the past nearly three years, Jack had successfully transformed his Spirit Circle in his soul into an almost complete Spirit Pool, showing a near mastery of the Second Great Stage of Spirit.

The amount of Spirit Energy he could draw upon was now roughly four times greater than before.

As Jack drew upon his Spirit, the world around him began to slow. His Natural Ability took effect, color gradually draining away.

1/3rd… 1/4th… 1/5th… The world around Jack slowed to a fifth it’s normal speed.

Over the past 3 years, Jack had studied and trained astutely. In the archives of the Space Clan, he had found records relating to the Time Clan, and a few excerpts that focused on the Natural Ability of the Time Clan.

According to these records, most Time Clan warriors would never be able to slow time past 1/5th its normal speed. While the difference between 1/5th and 1/6th might seem minimal, there existed a near insurmountable barrier that halted most fighters, a bridge that was extremely difficult to cross. The historical records labeled this as the “Time Barrier.”

Unfortunately, the Space Clan’s archives contained no information on how to cross this bridge, and Jack was forced to study and practice on his own.

Despite the time restriction remaining the same, the amount of Time Essence Jack could draw upon had vastly increased through his constant use and training.

If before the Time Essence in his soul had been a pitiful bead, now it was a blazing huge ball of pure white energy.

Jack could maintain his Slowed State and move through time for a full, extended 9 and a half minutes. When a battle could be decided in mere seconds, this amount of time was practically infinite.

Moving quickly, Jack drew a layer of Spirit energy to cover the blade. Then he began to fold the energy, moving the folds back and forth across the blade, following the Sundering Sword Monarch’s technique.

1 fold… 2… 5… 10… a full 13 folds turned the blue edge of Spirit on his sword into a dark green. Jack could feel the oppressive might in his sword, a powerful strength waiting to be released.

It had taken Jack a full year to completely master the first technique of the Sundering Sword Style, the Sunder the Earth strike. The complexities of folding Spirit and the control it required for his soul were strenuous, and not something that could be mastered in a day.

After a full year of constant practice, Jack had grown extremely adept at manipulating Spirit, and was able to successfully fold his Spirit Energy 13 times, and do so with a perfect success rate.

Jack launched himself down from the tree, falling through the air silently. With time slowed to a fifth its regular speed, gravity was also affected. Though it had taken some practice, Jack had adapted to this in his movements, focusing more on propelling himself with his own physical strength.

A blue sheen of Spirit energy covered his body, enhancing his strength and power as he fell towards the huge Bison.

Jack crossed the distance between him and the beast in a split second. His arm crashed down like a hammer as he swung Wyrmblight, the green edge leaving a faint trail of energy in the air.

*WHOOOOOSH*

*SHHHKK*

Jack’s blade effortlessly sliced through the thick hide of the Yellow Horned Bison. Bright red blood spattered up as a long, gaping slash appeared on the beasts back.

“ROAAAAAR!”

The Bison immediately came on full alert, growling aloud and twisting in a defensive maneuver, trying to throw Jack off its back.

However, by the time the Bison moved, Jack had already jumped down the side of the Bison, landing in front of it.

The Bison moved quickly for a beast of its size, and had impressive defenses.

However, Jack’s Sunder the Earth technique focused on creating an incredibly potent line of energy, one that could be launched away from the blade or kept on it, adding to its cutting power. In terms of sharpness, the hide of the Yellow Horned Bison simply couldn’t compete.

The Bison’s eyes turned red, its yellow horns gleaming as it caught sight of Jack. It began to move its head towards Jack, in a bashing attack. Its body began to give off steam, a telltale sign of it preparing for battle.

Unfortunately for the Bison, its movements simply were too slow. By the time it managed to lunge forward, Jack had launched a second attack, slicing into its skull. His blade moved silently forward and through the thick bones of the Yellow Horned Bison, killing it instantly.

Jack stepped out of his Slowed State as he dodged the falling corpse of the creature, his eyes cool. The massive beast shook the ground as it collapsed, cracking the base of tree it had rested against.The rising steam from its body dwindled away.

He stared at the corpse of the bull for a few moments, his eyes calm.

“Beasts of this level can no longer threaten me.” He observed, speaking for the first time since he had gone out on this hunt. His voice was deeper than it had been three years ago. He had grown to be just under six feet tall, maintaining his muscular and toned physique due to constant practice. The bright red scar on his cheek contrasted with his messy short brown hair, his sharp blue eyes focused.

Abruptly, a loud clapping sound rang out, echoing in the valley.

“Well hunted!” A smiling, blonde haired man waltzed into view, jumping down from a tree farther up the valley. A faded scar to the left of his right eye twitched as the man smiled, his blue eyes matching Jack’s own. A long mane of blonde hair was tied up in a bun above his head. Rippling muscles covered his arms and legs, giving him a powerful appearance.

Jack smiled as he saw Liren, not surprised. Over the years, Liren had gained an uncanny knack for finding Jack, even when he was in the midst of the Magma Lands on a mission.

“It’s nothing much, not compared to your Spatial Severing.” Jack returned, walking over towards the corpse of the Bison. He began sawing off the horns of the creature. Liren watched him silently, the smile on his face never fading.

This was the 67th mission Jack had taken as a Hunter in the Magma Lands. The goal of this mission was to procure the yellow horns of the bison, rewarded upon completion.

That being said, Jack fully intended to take everything of value from the corpse, especially since the mission only required the horns. The hide of a Yellow Horned Bison was worth quite a bit. He had been careful to place his first slash directly on the back of the Bison, making for a clean cut.

As he finished sawing off the horns and stored them in his Space Sealed Pouch, eyes gained an intense look as he looked at Liren, a certain tension in his heart rising.

“So I’m assuming you came all this way for a reason…” He began, squatting down to begin skinning the Bison. His hands moved with familiarity. He had skinned several dozen beasts over the past few years, becoming rather adept at it.

The smile on Liren’s face widened imperceptibly.

“Indeed. The Magma Clan’s Clan Tournament, and General Recruitment Drive, begin in three days.” Liren’s voice was quiet, but confident as he spoke, a deep eagerness barely audible,

“It’s time we began our plans.”