Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 1: The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Chapter 2: The Encyclopedia Of Mana Manipulation
Chapter 3: Head Start
Chapter 4: My Life Now
Chapter 5: Let The Journey Begin
Chapter 6: Up The Mountain
Chapter 7: How I Wished
Chapter 8: Questions
Chapter 9: Ones Held Dear
Chapter 10: Road Ahead
Chapter 11: To And Fro
Chapter 12: Meeting
Chapter 13: Q & A
Chapter 14: What’S To Come
Chapter 15: The Other Side
Chapter 16: Next Step
Chapter 17: Companion
Chapter 18: Family
Chapter 19: Peaceful
Chapter 20: Proclamation
Chapter 21: Everybody Wins
Chapter 22: For Them
Chapter 23: Royalty
Chapter 24: Auction
Chapter 25: Aftermath
Chapter 26: Partners In Crime
Chapter 27: Worth Fighting For
Chapter 28: Examination
Chapter 29: Changes In Dicathen
Chapter 30: Sword And Body
Chapter 31: Last Leg
Chapter 32: Dire Tombs
Chapter 33: Dire Tombs Ii
Chapter 34: Dire Tombs Iii
Chapter 35: Rash Actions And Limits
Chapter 36: Precautions
Chapter 37: A Son, Brother, And Friend
Chapter 38: In The Meantime
Chapter 39: Introspection
Chapter 40: New Winds
Chapter 41: I’M Not That Nice
Chapter 42: A Ball
Chapter 43: A Ball Ii
Chapter 44: Xyrus Academy
Chapter 45: You Dare?
Chapter 46: Not Quite As Planned
Chapter 47: Wiser Than The Wise
Chapter 48: Attention
Chapter 49: Reminisce
Chapter 50: Disciplinary Committee
Chapter 51: Classes And Professors
Chapter 52: Classes And Professors Ii
Chapter 53: Classes And Professors Iii
Chapter 54: It’S A Pleasure
Chapter 55: Match Start
Chapter 56: This Is Going To Hurt
Chapter 57: Family Gathering
Chapter 58: Feelings And Old Memories
Chapter 59: First Day On The Job
Chapter 60: Confrontation
Chapter 61: Romantic Idiot
Chapter 62: My Team
Chapter 63: Baby Steps
Chapter 64: Field Trip
Chapter 65: Widow’S Crypt
Chapter 66: Widow’S Crypt Ii
Chapter 67: Widow’S Crypt Iii
Chapter 68: Widow’S Crypt Iv
Chapter 69: Widow’S Crypt V
Chapter 70: An Unfamiliar Burden
Chapter 71: Evolving
Chapter 72: A Confusing Day
Chapter 73: One Fallen
Chapter 74: A Will’S Last Breath
Chapter 75: Order Of Power
Chapter 76: Manifest Destinies
Chapter 77: Good To See You
Chapter 78: Allies?
Chapter 79: Meanwhile
Chapter 80: Meanwhile Ii
Chapter 81: Meanwhile Iii
Chapter 82: At Last
Chapter 83: Benefactor
Chapter 84: A Greater Scale
Chapter 85: Lineage
Chapter 86: Elven Kingdom
Chapter 87: Winding Down
Chapter 88: A Will’S Unwillingness
Chapter 89: A Stroll
Chapter 90: A Cursed Blessing
Chapter 91: The Start
Chapter 92: Collapse Of Xyrus
Chapter 92: Bird’S Cage
Chapter 93: Chosen Ones
Chapter 94: Arrival
Chapter 95: The Calm Before
Chapter 96: The Storm
Chapter 97: Outcome
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322: Echoes Of Accusations
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325 Painless
Chapter 326 Backlash
Chapter 327 Enough For Now
Chapter 328 Face To Face
Chapter 329: A Plea For Help
Chapter 330
Chapter 331: The Trial
Chapter 332: Broken Chains
Chapter 333: Attention
Chapter 334: Last Mercy
Chapter 335: Haunting Peace
Chapter 336: Protection
Chapter 337: Layers
Chapter 338 A Weapon Against Him
Chapter 339 The Central Dominion
Chapter 340 Burden And Stakes
Chapter 341 Ashes And Dust
Chapter 342 Duality
Chapter 343 Professor Princess
Chapter 344 Eyes Locked
Chapter 345 Socialite
Chapter 346 A Dim Spark
Chapter 347 A Stroll With Gods
Chapter 348 Melee Enhancement Tactics
Chapter 349: Hope And Lies
Chapter 350: Colleagues
Chapter 351: Minimally Catastrophic
Chapter 352: Relic, Revived
Chapter 353: Paradigm Shift
Chapter 354: Somewhat Teaching
Chapter 355: Just His Name
Chapter 356: Closure
Chapter 357: Blood Relic
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361: The Second Ruin
Chapter 362: Fate Intertwined
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 374.5
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384
Chapter 385
Chapter 386
Chapter 387
Chapter 388
Chapter 389
Chapter 390
Chapter 391
Chapter 392
Chapter 393
Chapter 394
Chapter 395
Chapter 396
Chapter 397
Chapter 398
Chapter 399
Chapter 400
Chapter 401
Chapter 402
Chapter 403
Chapter 404
Chapter 405
Chapter 406
Chapter 407
Chapter 408
Chapter 409
Chapter 410
Chapter 411
Chapter 412
Chapter 413
Chapter 414
Chapter 415
Chapter 416
Chapter 417
Chapter 418
Chapter 419: One Of Mine
Chapter 420: Shackles
Chapter 421: Black Doors
Chapter 422: Black Doors Ii
Chapter 423: One Last Ruin
Chapter 424: Through The Djinn’S Eyes
Chapter 425: Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 426: Changing The Narrative
Chapter 427: Amends
Chapter 428: Hoping
Chapter 429: A Dream Yet To Happen
Chapter 430 Opposition
Chapter 431 Time
Chapter 432 Overdue
Chapter 433 Respect And Regards
Chapter 434 Fellowship Forged
Chapter 435 Entourage
Chapter 436 Obscured
Chapter 437 Scales Of Understanding
Chapter 438 A Broken Path
Chapter 439 Holding Ground
Chapter 440 A Loose Idea
Chapter 441 The Message
Chapter 442 A Snapped Thread
Chapter 443 Horns Of Exeges
Chapter 444 A Sword Struck
Chapter 445 The Truth Of Power
Chapter 446 Scarred
Chapter 447 A Certain State In Time
Chapter 448
Chapter 449
Chapter 450
Chapter 451
Chapter 452
Chapter 453
Chapter 454
Chapter 455
Chapter 456
Chapter 458
Chapter 457: Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 459
Chapter 460
Chapter 461
Chapter 462
Chapter 463
Chapter 464
Chapter 465
Chapter 466
Chapter 467
Chapter 468
Chapter 469
Chapter 470
Chapter 471
Chapter 472
Chapter 473
Chapter 474
Chapter 475
Chapter 476
Chapter 477
Chapter 478
Chapter 479
Chapter 480
Chapter 481
Chapter 482
Categories Genre: All, Fantasy, Martial, Ongoing Status: Ongoing ______
Total Chapters in book: 485
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 485 Page No. 484 Page No. 483 Page No. 482 Page No. 481 Page No. 480 Page No. 479 Page No. 478 Page No. 477 Page No. 476 Page No. 475 Chapter 258
Chapter 258
Chapter 258: Law of the Wild
“There’s something coming,” I grunted, barely able to get back to my feet.
Regis turned around and I could literally see his smokey black body pale. “Oh, shit.”
My heart pounded as the rapid footfalls of the beasts grew louder. I hobbled as fast as my body would let me under the current strain of the fruit I had just consumed. There was no way I could I fight whatever horde was barreling toward us in the current state I was in.
Heaven-sent, we managed to find a dip in the ground just by large tree nearby. The exposed roots gnarled together, weaving in and out of the ground to provide us with a tight shelter to hide in.
My heart pounded as I listened to what sounded like a stampede searching every square inch of the area we had narrowly escaped from.
My mind whirled trying to think of the reason why we had suddenly attracted the attention of all of them. Was it because I had eaten the fruit? No, that wasn’t it.
That transparent fly trap... it let out that horrible scream just before it died.
And that’s when everything clicked.
The two-tailed monkeys, the trap monster and everything else on this floor made almost no noise. All of the organisms here had adapted to make as little noise as possible... most likely in order to survive against whatever those beasts were.
“Sensitive to sound,” I mouthed, pointing to my ear. Regis nodded back and the two of us waited for this beast to hopefully move on.
By now, the very ground shook under the constant footfalls of the horde of beasts. That’s how close they were. I could hear a loud chitter as the beasts continued to search for the source of the scream that had lured it.
With how close the horde of beasts were, I could feel the pressure they emitted and suffice to say, it was on a whole other level from the chimeras Regis and I had faced.
Steadying my breathing, I remained frozen as the grating sound of rusted gears clacking together grew closer. Even Regis remained inside me, afraid of being seen despite his incorporeal state.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck sensed something was coming that I wouldn’t like. The rapid chittering grew even louder until, moments later, I was able to see it.
It wasn’t a horde of beasts. It was just one very long, large beast.
The chimeras had been fairly horrifying to look at, but this creature was something straight out of a demon’s nightmare.
With the overall frame of a millipede—except the size and girth of a bullet train—the creature writhed past me using its countless spindly legs spanning twice my height. I was able to make out the serrated pincers on its head as it passed by but most of the smaller details were lost on me. I was focused on the fact that this millipede was almost transparent.
Tinged in a soft purple hue that blended with the glowing leaves, the giant millipede looked more gelatinous than solid... like it was missing its hard shell or something. However, seeing how not even the sharp branches of the ethereal trees made a scratch against the creature’s exterior, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to kill.
The millipede continued to crawl around us, searching for its prey. Despite its tremendous size and length, it moved with such deft and flexibility that even as it moved on to a different area, there was no trace that a giant beast had passed through.
Still, I could hear the giant millipede nearby. Its steps continued to shake the ground, keeping me from trying to leave from my cramped refuge.
Time dragged as we anxiously waited for the millipede to leave when suddenly I could hear a change in\ its actions. The beast’s rapid steps began to slow until all I could hear was a rhythmic thump.
‘What’s going on now?’ Regis asked.
I’m not sure, I responded, sorely tempted to take a peek.
It didn’t take long to figure out that I wouldn’t have been alive if I had moved. Not long after the millipede began rhythmically stomping its countless legs on the ground, I could hear pained cries.
I could only assume that the beast had used some form of echolocation to find anything nearby that had moved.
With the rhythmic stomping halted, I steeled myself enough to find out what was going on despite the burning sensation of my core continuing to absorb the aether from the fruit.
“It’s eating,” Regis whispered, looking over my shoulder.
The millipede had curled itself around a massive tree, which was apparently home to a family of two-tailed monkeys.
What was a feast for the millipede was a tragic bloodbath for the monkeys. I could see a larger monkey drenched in its own blood as it was being swallowed while a smaller monkey pounded desperately on the millipede’s head.
Unfazed by a sight that I had grown much too accustomed to, I studied the millipede. The giant beast had circular depressions all over its back that pulsated, but aside from the dagger-like pincers and its sharp legs, I couldn’t see any other form of attack.
“Please tell me you’re not thinking of fighting that thing,” Regis whispered an inch away from my ear.
“Not if I don’t have to.”
Despite there being over a dozen monkeys all tinged with aether, they stood no chance against the millipede. It didn’t take long for over half of them to be consumed while the other half had given up and escaped for their lives.
As the millipede eventually uncurled itself from the giant tree and began slithering away, I couldn’t help noticing the monkeys inside the beast’s body.
During the battle, the monkeys had grabbed stones from the ground to use as weapons. These had also gotten consumed along with the monkeys.
While the two-tailed beasts bodies were withering—as if their aether was being sucked out of their bodies, a slight glow began enveloping the rock that the millipede had consumed along with it.
After traveling a few hours in the opposite direction of where the millipede had gone upon finishing its meal, I was finally able to spend some time absorbing the rest of the fruit.
While the first bite had been an agonizing experience that could’ve gotten me killed by the millipede, the subsequent bites made it seem like it was all worth it.
I started off with small nibbles, afraid that I’d be met with another wave of pain. Instead, I was met with an overwhelming sensation of heat spreading throughout my body and coalescing back in my core. No longer afraid, I took larger bites as my core hungrily devoured the aetheric essence from the fruit.
What was even more fascinating was that after polishing off the fruit, the aether in my body had lost some of its reddish tint—and that was before my body had completely absorbed all of the aetheric essence.
I didn’t know exactly what the change in color meant but I knew I had gotten stronger.
Time went by neither fast nor slow on this floor. With little need to sleep as frequently and no sun overhead, my internal clock had become all but useless.
As we continued searching for the exit, my mind continued to think back to our encounter with the translucent millipede. More specifically, how the beast’s insides had completely absorbed the aether from the monkeys it had devoured but how a coat of aether seemed to be forming around the stone.
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“—thur!” Regis snapped, his voice just inches from my ear.
“What?” I hissed, surprised.
“I was saying...” Regis stressed, his large white eyes narrowing. “That we need to think of a battle phrase for our combo attack!”
I raised a brow. “Our...combo attack?”
“Yeah! You know, when I go inside your hand and make your fist turn all smokey black and purple. In the heat of a battle, you’re going to need something more concise to say.”
My initial reaction was to dismiss his silly idea, but there was some merit to what my floating black companion was suggesting.
“Fine,” I sighed, relenting. “What did you have in mind?”
Regis’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously? I thought you were going to be a grouch about it.”
Shooting him glare, I enveloped my body in aether as I raised a hand to smack him.
“Okay okay!” Regis flinched.
“How about Aether Explosion Punch!” he suggested, out of arm’s reach from me.
“No,” I said flatly while my eyes continued to search for any signs of an exit.
“Aetheric Void Buster?”
“No.”
“Shadow Death Imp— “
“No,” I cut him off. “Where are you even coming up with these ridiculous names?”
“Your early memories as Grey playing those arcade games come to mind,” Regis responded simply. “Ooh! How about—”
“No.”
“Fine fine fine. I’ll be serious. What about something simple, like Fist Style or...Fist Form?”
I thought about it for a minute before I suggested something. “What about Gauntlet Form?”
“Yes!” Regis exclaimed, trembling with excitement. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
“Too loud!” I snapped, my head turning back.
“Relax. I saw that gigantic bug go back to its hole near the center of this floor. We’re hours away from it.”
“You saw its den?” I asked, shocked.
“Yeah, while you were absorbing the fruit. It wasn’t that hard to find with how much aetheric essence that place was giving off,” Regis explained before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why? You’re not thinking of trying to fight that thing, right?”
“Let’s just search for the exit,” I dismissed. Meanwhile, the gears in my brain continued turn.
Subjective hours passed uneventfully as we combed through the ethereal forest. A few more times, we ran into a flytrap beast with its fruit tempting me every time we passed by them.
Thankfully, none of the other fruits seemed nearly as potent as the first one I had consumed.
We rested intermittently, mainly so that I could sit down and concentrate on my aether core. I was wracking my brain trying to think of how to form new channels throughout my body so that I could more freely control the aether inside me.
After hours of deliberation and testing with nothing to show for it, I pulled out the translucent stone which held Sylvie. It had become a habit for me to stare mindlessly at it whenever things got tough or I was feeling overwhelmed.
Since a few days ago, I had Regis go inside of it every now and then to see if there were any developments going within the stone—if Sylvie was getting better at all—but nothing had changed.
But this time was different. Whether it was because my core had gotten stronger after consuming the fruit, I didn’t know. But as I continued holding onto the stone, I could feel something pulling at my hands that were wrapped around on the smooth surface of the stone.
Will you accept the aether this time, Sylv? I thought as I pushed the aether from my core.
It only took a few minutes until my entire aether core had been drained, leaving me weak and shivering.
“H-Hey! What happened?” Regis, who had been inspecting the perimeter, flew to my side.
I held up my hand. “I...I’m fine.”
“I’m more than fine.” A smile formed on my face as I stared down at the translucent stone that seemed just a tad brighter than before. “Thanks to Sylv, I think I found a way to maybe control the aether inside me.”
“That’s great! But I got some good news too,” Regis said with a smile. “I think I found the exit from this floor!”
I tucked the small stone back in my vest. “No. We can’t leave yet.”
“What? Why?” Regis panicked. “Are you hurt?”
“Nothing like that.”
My thoughts went back to the millipede and the way it created a shell of aether around everything that it couldn’t digest. According to Regis, there was also a huge influx of aether stemming from its den.
If my thoughts were correct, then even at the risk of my life...
No. I had already decided that I needed to risk my life in order to overcome all of the challenges that I would face when I got out of here.
I turned to Regis and spoke with iron in my voice. “We’re going to kill that millipede.”
Total Chapters in book: 485
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
______