Chapter 164: Moving On
Chapter 164: Moving On
[Strength level: Rank 30]
Rohan’s eyes widened slightly.
’Rank 30...’
He was surprised to see this, considering it was even higher than his own Rank. Not by a huge amount, but enough that it immediately caught his attention.
Hestia had been surprised that his Rank had been so much higher than she thought after she first read his status, and the difference was only between Rank 10 and rank 25, so while this disparity was only one of 5 Ranks, it was highly intriguing to say the least.
’So the weapon didn’t get dragged down to match me, but it was strengthened beyond its original abilities!?’
Rohan was highly excited by this. If his body was currently weaker than what he was used to, but his summoned weapon — the Horned Rabbit Spear — retained a higher standard of strength, then it gave him one solid advantage.
It still wasn’t enough to make him fight recklessly, obviously, but he wasn’t forced to rely solely on his reduced physical ability.
Rohan glanced down at Hestia’s spear in his hand, then back to the panel.
’Personally attuned weapon in its physical form...’
’Then what was the whole point of Hestia giving me this spear?’
"Summon Spear," he whispered.
He kept his voice to the bare minimum, and fortunately nothing alerted the fog creatures this time.
But contrary to his wishes, nothing occurred.
’Did my skill fail?’ He thought to himself, but the rise of a sudden sensation quickly took his attention back to the matter at hand.
Something stirred inside his mind. It felt deeper than any time before when he’d summoned his spear back inside the Origin Realm — as if the connection keeping the two in sync had become even more bonded.
’Is this...’
He felt like something inside his hand was obstructing his ability to complete the skill.
Rohan knew what it was the instant the feeling came. He loosened his grip on Hestia’s spear and placed it on the ground beside him. Then he held out his now empty hand.
’Come on then.’
The feeling of his hand being blocked disappeared, and his energy intensified multiple fold around the space surrounding his hand.
A faint glow appeared over his palm.
This was not like the process of summoning a Genetic Armament he recognised from his time in the Origin Realm — this seemed far more gentle.
A dull, bone grey light threaded out with his palm at the centre, forming a shape slowly at first before stretching outward.
A shaft appeared, then a spearhead, and within two more breaths, an all too familiar weapon rested in his grasp.
Rohan’s eyes were glued to this spectacular scene the whole time. But he noticed the drawbacks immediately.
’This summoning process is far more flashy and unique, but the fact I had to wait a few seconds for it to fully form is a huge disappointment. Looks like I’ll have to adjust some of my fighting styles if I want to continue using it.’
In the Origin Realm, any Genetic Armament he summoned would appear instantly, without any fanfare like he’d just experienced, which was the very thing that enabled him to use his spear at range as well — coupled with his ability to recall it back after throwing it, even though his body wasn’t in contact with it.
In this new universe, the Greater Universe, it looked like this tactic had to be completely thrown out due to the time it takes for the spear to actually form.
And to make things a little worse, he couldn’t seem to unsummon it after he placed it on the ground and tested how it worked if he wasn’t in contact with it any longer.
’Looks like not every aspect of my status received an upgrade after being assimilated with the Great System. No wonder Hestia insisted on gifting me this other spear despite having a skill that summons one on demand.’
He glanced down at the Horned Rabbit Spear and Hestia’s spear on the ground. A thought had formed.
’Can I use both?’
Excitement and intrigue sparked up in his chest. Duel wielding spears sounded ridiculous, impractical even, and exactly like something an idiot would try after receiving two weapons in another universe...
Rohan stared at the two weapons.
He eventually shook his head.
’No. I can’t suddenly start testing out a whole new fighting technique in an environment I’m barely familiar with — nobody’s familiar with.’
He finally saw rationality as he unsummoned his Horned Rabbit Spear due to the constant upkeep of energy it needed while summoned — another unfortunately side effect of assimilating his one and only Genetic Armament with his new status in the Greater Universe.
Rohan turned his attention to his surroundings.
He still didn’t understand how to grow stronger in this universe. He didn’t know if killing creatures here would help him, nor if his stashed away Origin Crystals would work in this place — or if they’d even retained their energy after crossing literal universes.
But he was much better equipped for it now that he knew how his abilities worked.
Except for his core skills.
’Assimilation, Refinement, Directed Growth...’
While he could make an educated guess at what these skills did when used, he was still far more in the dark than he would’ve liked.
Take Assimilation for example. It was clear that it was connected, perhaps even derived, in some way with his ability to rapidly absorb energy from Origin Crystals back in the Origin Realm.
But here...? Assimilate what, exactly?
If all he had to go off was the name, then that wasn’t really much help, was it?
’Perhaps even the Great System won’t fully understand them until it sees them in actual use — which might be why it hasn’t provided any further explanation on them.’
’That or I’m missing something obvious.’
Rohan wasn’t sure which possibility annoyed him more.
The Great System had already provided him with more information in the last few minutes than the Origin Realm had given him since the day he awakened, but somehow that made the unanswered parts feel even more irritating.
Back in the Origin Realm, ignorance was a completely normal everyday thing.
Here, it felt particularly targeted at him, especially since he knew the creator.
The fog creatures continued moving below. Their faint clicking carried through the mist in uneven bursts. None of them seemed aware of an intruder anymore.
Rohan picked up Hestia’s spear from the ground.
Now that he held both his spears in short succession, he could tell the difference far better now.
His Horned Rabbit Spear felt and looked more expensive, as if it was created by extravagant materials by a decent weaponsmith.
While this new spear gifted by Hestia... It was like the pinnacle of all weapon smiths had taken the most normal, everyday materials to their utmost limits to craft this ordinary spear to perfection.
’That’s probably the point.’
The summoned spear was useful, but it cost energy and took too long to form. Hestia’s spear could stay in his hand without draining him. It could block, strike, and support him across uneven ground.
’She gave me a weapon I’d actually need, not one that sounded impressive.’
He rose from his crouched position.
His legs protested immediately. He had been still for too long, tension locking his muscles without him noticing. He stretched one foot, then the other, careful not to scrape stone loudly.
The fog valley remained ahead and below, pale mist crawling between black rocks like something alive.
Rohan glanced at the creatures moving within it.
Then at the direction of the pull in his chest.
Unfortunately, the faint tug led almost directly across the valley.
Rohan stared at the fog.
The fog stared back in its fog-like way.
’No.’
He turned away.
’The boundary can wait. I am not crossing the suspicious monster soup because my chest says the shortest route is that way.’
He began moving along the ridge instead, circling the valley from above.
The path was uneven. Black stone broke under his boots in brittle flakes, and every few steps he had to test the ground with his spear before trusting his weight to it. The ash made everything slick in places, dry and crumbling in others.
Rohan kept one hand on the stone beside him whenever possible.
As he moved, he tried to feel for Evolutionary Sense again.
The skill had not responded when he tried to force it earlier. Maybe that was because it was not like Summon Spear or Molten Assimilation. ’Maybe it’s more of a passive effect, one that applies without me even knowing?’ This was his best guess for now.
’But how do you use a sense you’ve never used before, and have no reference points?’
The Great System was helpful, but not that helpful.
Eventually, the ridge descended into a field of uneven black slabs. The fog valley was now behind him, though Rohan did not let himself relax. If anything, leaving one visible danger behind only meant he had to start looking for the next one.