App herunterladen
2.42% Void Evolution System / Chapter 46: Circuits [1]

Kapitel 46: Circuits [1]

Since it was relatively close, it took less than a day for Damien to reach the mountain. It looked to be close to a full 10,000 meters in height, leaving Damien stunned by its magnificence.

It didn't have the same rumbling sky or cracked surface as Thunder Mountain did, rather this one was a true natural beauty. The entire mountainside was filled with lush trees and various beautiful flowers.

When he spread his awareness, Damien could sense many beasts cohabitating its surface as well. And unlike the scenes in the dungeon, these beasts didn't constantly feed on each other for growth. There were even a few species that seemed to be herbivorous, without the need or desire for meat.

It was a clear day, so Damien could see up to the peak of the mountain, which was capped in snow, giving off a beautiful contrast with the vibrant colors that led up to it.

Damien thought this environment gave off a feeling of bliss.

No endless fight on the path to strength, no burdens or worries, and no pressure. However, this type of life didn't appeal to him. He loved gaining strength, he loved pressure that stimulated his growth, and although he didn't love burdens, he knew they were inevitable if one had even a single person or thing they cared about.

In reality, everything besides oneself could be considered a burden on this long and arduous path, and it was normal for many people to forsake everything for the sake of strength. Some people even choose to be so cold-hearted that their own families become nothing more than pawns to fit their needs.

Damien knew he had the chance to take this path if he truly wanted to, but he didn't have any desire to become like this. He liked his human side, his sometimes volatile emotions, and the bonds he had with the select few people he was close with.

He agreed that others could become burdens for him, and he even understood that from a certain perspective, his own mother who was bedridden could be considered a burden, but he didn't care.

He had a taste of the endless cycle of blood that came from being alone, the feral and primal nature that one would begin to develop. He had no interest in that.

If he wanted to do that, then that day he would've forsaken his humanity and devoured Zara rather than saving her.

Shaking his head, Damien snapped out of his thoughts. Now wasn't the time for introspection.

He gazed up the mountain and thought to himself, 'if I'm being honest I could spam teleport and make it to the peak in a few seconds, but I doubt that's what that old man wants.'

It had only been 2 days and he was already tired of playing the old man's games, but he decided that he'd concede with this one last challenge. Without further ado, Damien began rushing up the mountain.

And indeed, just as Elder Blanc had suspected, there were countless traps set up along the way. Some were stupid traps that could only kill mortals, such as a swinging tree trunk, but some were even slightly dangerous to him.

There was a pit full of 3rd class vipers that he almost fell into, mechanisms that suppressed his spatial ability and forced him to narrowly dodge razor-sharp blades with his bare body, and many other traps.

'This old man seriously has a wild imagination.' Damien kept climbing without stopping as he evaded trap after trap. Surprisingly, no beasts attacked him besides those within the traps. It seemed that there was some sort of order among them.

Even the ones that looked desperate to eat him begrudgingly turned away as he continued his climb. And by the time night fell, Damien reached the snow-covered peak.

There, he saw a familiar middle-aged man staring into the distance with his back facing Damien as if to come off as more mysterious. Knowing that this was the old man's quirk, he didn't pay attention to it, instead opting to sit down and recover his mana.

When Damien closed his eyes, the man took a peek behind him and witnessed Damien completely ignoring him. He was disgruntled but didn't bother the kid as he recovered his mana. Half an hour later, Damien's eyes began to open, and the man returned to his original pose of gazing into the distance.

"Old man, there's no need to act so mysteriously with me. That elder already told me about your antics."

The man's shoulders twitched a bit when he heard this, and he reluctantly turned around. "That damn witch! Looks like I need to teach her a lesson when I get back."

Noticing Damien's deadpan gaze, the man quickly changed the subject. "Kuhum… I guess now is the time for formal introductions. My name is Malcolm Grey, and I am the Headmaster of Zenith Academy. And I want you, Damien Void, to be my student."

The air of an expert radiated from Malcolm as he revealed his status, waiting to see the shock on Damien's face.

However, Damien's gaze was still deadpan.

"Okay, now what?"

Malcolm's brows twitched. "Kid, don't you get it? The headmaster of the whole academy wants to take you as a student. Aren't you supposed to be like 'Wow! What an opportunity!' or something?"

Damien's dead fish gaze intensified. "Old man, I figured you were the headmaster after the reactions of everyone I showed the token to. It isn't that hard. Also, why would I be surprised about you wanting to train me? You literally made it so obvious with all the testing and mysteriousness. So, let's just get on with the actual training part."

The twitch in Malcolm's brow became even more pronounced. Not only was the kid being so blunt that it slightly damaged his ego, he even had the nerve to keep calling him 'old man' even though he's known his status since the beginning.

Sighing at the fact that he couldn't keep his cool image, Malcolm's eyes turned serious and his whole aura shifted.

"Very well, since you want to learn then let's start immediately. Your sword art seems to be original and you've already found a path so I won't say anything about it. The same goes for your spatial affinity. I can teach you about lightning but that'll be secondary."

Damien felt his pride swell hearing all the praise he was getting, but he was soon brought back to reality.

"The most important thing is your mana control. Frankly, it's shit. Completely garbage for someone your age. Even little 5-year-old children can easily wield mana better than you without even trying. I saw during our first fight that you have immense reserves of mana, but you still ran out within only a couple of hours. Truly, you should be ashamed of yourself."

Damien was too stunned to speak. Since he had begun his climb in strength, he had never received such a harsh rating of his abilities. He fought a 3rd class and succeeded in killing him, begetting praise. His level was insane for his age, begetting praise.

Not once had someone insulted or berated him since he had left earth. He was about to retort and get angry at the old man, but he stopped himself and thought about the words he had heard.

The more he thought, the more he realized the truth in those words. Damien had put all his focus on his sword art and his affinities. Not once had he ever focused on mana control.

He had always used mana however he pleased without any rhyme or reason to it.

In the first place, the structure of his mana control was based on how it had been utilized by the feral version of him when he had been taken over by his bestial instinct.

How could a feral beast with barely any conscious thought be able to compare to an intelligent being?

Beasts above 2nd class had already started developing intelligence, so even they probably had better mana control than him. His eyes hardened as he realized this.

'Ahh, I truly got too conceited recently. If nobody had said anything, I probably wouldn't have corrected it before it turned into a habit I can't change.'

Malcolm had been watching Damien this whole time, seeing how he'd react to his harsh words. In fact, he had made sure to make his words more taunting specifically to test Damien's reaction.

At first, he was disappointed seeing Damien get angry. But as he continued to watch Damien fall into thought and saw his eyes harden as he realized the truth, Malcolm became appreciative.

This kid was truly worthy to become his disciple.

Pride is normal and was bred within almost every lifeform as they gained strength. With all the hard work most people put into their strength, how could they not hold immense pride over their achievements?

The main issue was knowing when pride turned into arrogance and fixing the issue before it stabbed them in the back.

Seeing Damien look up at him, Malcolm smiled.

"Good. It seems you've realized the truth of the matter. Let me reintroduce myself then. My name is Malcolm Grey, a 4th class, and the only person in the human domain who has reached the Saint-level in mana control. Are you willing to accept me as your teacher?"

This time, Damien's eyes truly did widen in shock. The quirky old man in front of him was actually a 4th class and someone who reached Saint-level to boot.

This level was seen as a legend by many people in the world, but someone who had reached it was standing before him.

His decision didn't even take a second. Bowing his head, Damien repeated a line he'd read countless times in novels.

"Damien greets his new teacher."

Malcolm's smile grew even wider. "Good! Now, let's start our training to make you unstoppable in the Nexus Event. The first and most important priority? Mana Circuits."


Kapitel 47: Circuits [2]

Mana Circuits.

According to Malcolm, 'mana circuit' was a term used to broadly define the pathways and methods people used to wield their mana. Since everyone's body was different and everyone had different specializations, there were many different iterations of mana circuits created through the years.

Many important clans and powers within the world have their own methods for structuring mana circuits that have been passed down through the generations, highlighting their strengths.

However, there were also generalized methods for their creation as well. Even the common populace could easily get their hands on these, which was why Malcolm was surprised at Damien's terrible usage of mana.

The purpose of mana circuits was to act as both a pathway for mana, similar to meridians in cultivation novels, as well as to optimize and amplify its power. The structure of the mana circuit of someone who specialized in defense would mirror that, while the same went for offense and support.

Malcolm continued to talk about the history of mana circuits, which dated back thousands of years. By the end of the spontaneous lecture he was given, Damien truly felt enlightened.

To think there were so many different ways to utilize mana. Damien felt like an idiot for never trying to learn about this. There weren't books on it within Kurt's subspace in the dungeon either, making him believe that this specific knowledge was kept elsewhere.

"Now that you have all the general information, your job is to create your own mana circuit. After seeing your talent the other day, I'm sure you can do it. My mana circuits were built using the volatile nature of lightning as its base, but yours needs to be different."

Malcolm hadn't been idly standing by when Damien was climbing the mountain. He had been carefully watching to see how Damien dealt with every situation.

"It's clear to me that lightning isn't something that you particularly focus on, only using its destructive power occasionally. So, you need to either structure your mana circuits based on your spatial affinity or do something new. The choice is up to you."

Damien fell into thought. 'Although my spatial affinity is definitely my strongest power and will most likely remain that way in the future, it's not all I have.'

Although it was faint, Damien still remembered the feeling he had that he touched upon something greater. While he didn't know exactly what it was, he knew that he couldn't close off the doors that led to that possible future.

"Naturally, as your teacher, I won't force you to start and continue the process without any guidance. While most of the work will be done by you, I'll give you a starting point and help you if you ever come across roadblocks in your path."

Listening to Malcolm, Damien smiled. A teacher that didn't restrict him and instead chose to subtly guide his path was exactly what he needed.

Seeing the fire that was growing in Damien's eyes, Malcolm continued. "I suggest you start by feeling the structure of your internal body. This can be a great basis to create your circuit.

And finally, he decided to end his speech.

"The body itself is a huge interconnected system that keeps you functioning, and mana circuits are very similar to veins and arteries. That's it from me. Inject some mana into that token if you ever need to contact me."

With that, Malcolm vanished. Damien didn't even realize this, though, as he continued ruminating over the new information he had gained.

Although the concept of mana circuits was extremely different, Damien knew that his own method would be vastly different from the denizens of this world. After all, he wasn't a native here. He had earth's specialty from before mana erupted, science.

Mana technology and previously modern science were leagues apart in both functionality and methodology. Since mana was a mysterious energy that could break the laws of physics, it made many new things possible.

However, precisely because it was constrained and limited by the laws of physics, modern science was full of great ideas and the ingeniousness of mankind. Many things were already theorized using science that became easily applicable due to mana.

Like this, Damien decided to make his mana circuits function more algorithmically. He would create an intricate system within his body that boosted his efficiency and output manifold.

He only had 5 months to design and implement this system. He decided that he would put any development into his abilities on hold and focus wholeheartedly on this task. Other than his daily practice to make sure his skills don't rust, he wouldn't do anything else.

He spent the next week on the mountain peak, sitting unmoving as he studied the structure of his internal body. He had done this once before, but only for a single arm.

This time, he focused on everything. The rate at which his heart pumped blood and the movements of that blood through his veins and arteries to create a sort of feedback loop, the flexing of his muscles that caused various tendons and ligaments to move as his bones followed suit, even the response of neurons sent to and from his brain down his spinal cord that facilitated his control over his body.

Damien put his whole focus onto these processes to the point that he no longer felt the flow of time around him. He also pondered on various examples of mana circuits he had read about to see if they had any use in real-life scenarios.

He wasn't a big science fanatic back on earth, so he wasn't familiar with too many theories that could help him, but he had the basic knowledge to use as a basis.

His ambition for his mana circuits was as grand as can be. Maybe not within these 5 months, but sometime in the future, he wanted his mana circuits to act as a perpetual motion system. If his idea succeeded, he'd, in theory, gain access to a nigh-infinite supply of magic power.

However, whether through mana or science, perpetual motion has never been achieved. Nothing could continue moving indefinitely when it was drawing from a finite power source.

Even celestial bodies, which seem to rotate and move infinitely, do not truly achieve perpetual motion. Many forces disrupt their flow of kinetic energy, such as solar winds, gravitational and thermal radiation, etc.

To even gain a possibility of achieving the wild dream of infinite mana, Damien needed to create a mana circuit that could constantly evolve.

'Evolve.'

The word brought back memories of his first evolution after killing that 1st class wolf. 'What was it that allowed me to evolve at that time? Although I believe in my will and tenacity, it wouldn't be enough to grant me a perfect evolution. No, it was my Void Physique that allowed that.'

His Void Physique had always been a mystery to him. It devoured energy like a black hole but also fed him energy whenever he evolved. He had even begun to muse that his devour skill might be a product of his physique.

He had never truly studied his physique in-depth, and the reason was that its actual location was unknown to him. This problem might sound stupid, as physiques were essentially one's body, but Damien's was different.

He could always feel a faint connection to what he assumed to be his void physique, and it was always superimposed on his body, yet not existing within it. It was confusing even for him as if its true existence was in a separate dimension or something.

Still, he determined that his physique was the beginning of the path he needed to take to reach his insane goal. So, he put his all into attempting to study it.

Another week passed without any progress. Damien was starting to get frustrated. He had never experienced failure in his training, only slight setbacks that he could overcome with time. This time, he hadn't even been able to find an inkling of a path forward.

But he wasn't going to quit now. He had seen a vision of the insane power he could grant himself in the far future if he succeeded here, and he wasn't going to let it go easily. If he couldn't reach his Void Physique directly, he'd simply need to study his devour skill first, since he suspected that they were linked.

The devour skill was the method his physique utilized to help him evolve. This was his conjecture. And as he spent his time studying it, he knew he was correct.

The devour skill was mysterious in just how greatly it could optimize the usage of energy he devoured, and this was specifically the concept he was focusing on. Optimizing the energy, amplifying its effect, and evolving when a better option was presented.

Damien had finally found a clue. He had to build a true physical construct within his body that could be evolved, enhanced, and tweaked as he pleased. Rather than an ethereal path to carry his mana, he decided to change his body structure.

For the first step, he took an idea he had seen used countless times, a mana core. Although it wouldn't be cultivated the same way, the concept was similar. However, he had no interest in wantonly experimenting with his body and accidentally injuring himself.

He first drew his magic power out of his body and began compressing it. He used his spatial affinity to aid this compression as he gushed out mana into a ball on his palm.

The sphere shrunk as its power grew, but it looked more like an attack than something that would become corporeal. He then decided to revolve the ball of mana as it was compressed, hoping that this would also aid the process.

And aid it did. The ball became smaller and smaller, as the mana that composed it started liquifying. And, by the time he had used up half of his mana capacity, all that was left on his palm was a small amethyst marble that he could pick up and move as he pleased.

It was pure solidified mana.

After half a month, he had taken the first step forward towards his grand ambition.


Load failed, please RETRY

Geschenke

Geschenk -- Geschenk erhalten

    Wöchentlicher Energiestatus

    Stapelfreischaltung von Kapiteln

    Inhaltsverzeichnis

    Anzeigeoptionen

    Hintergrund

    Schriftart

    Größe

    Kapitel-Kommentare

    Schreiben Sie eine Rezension Lese-Status: C46
    Fehler beim Posten. Bitte versuchen Sie es erneut
    • Qualität des Schreibens
    • Veröffentlichungsstabilität
    • Geschichtenentwicklung
    • Charakter-Design
    • Welthintergrund

    Die Gesamtpunktzahl 0.0

    Rezension erfolgreich gepostet! Lesen Sie mehr Rezensionen
    Stimmen Sie mit Powerstein ab
    Rank 200+ Macht-Rangliste
    Stone 16 Power-Stein
    Unangemessene Inhalte melden
    error Tipp

    Missbrauch melden

    Kommentare zu Absätzen

    Einloggen

    tip Kommentar absatzweise anzeigen

    Die Absatzkommentarfunktion ist jetzt im Web! Bewegen Sie den Mauszeiger über einen beliebigen Absatz und klicken Sie auf das Symbol, um Ihren Kommentar hinzuzufügen.

    Außerdem können Sie es jederzeit in den Einstellungen aus- und einschalten.

    ICH HAB ES