Capítulo 6: Preparations For The Third Test 2

The aftermath of his slash left a trail of corruption in its wake. Once a vibrant landscape, it now lay desolate and barren, suffused with a thick, poisonous miasma that rendered the area uninhabitable. The Abyssal Slash not only wrought physical devastation but also unleashed a malevolent energy that drained life from its surroundings, leaving behind a toxic wasteland. Its aura was so potent that it could even harm the souls of those who dared approach too closely.

Surveying the aftermath, Shin pondered, "This will be a good test to see how potent my light magic is at the moment. I must be cautious in choosing where to wield my Abyssal power." Fortunately, his immunity to the harmful effects of Abyssal residue allowed him to navigate and exploit these perilous environments without endangering himself. He recognized the potential to turn these dangerous landscapes to his advantage in dire situations.

He focused on calming himself, visualizing the thick, poisonous miasma and malevolent energies dispersing. Slowly but surely, they were filtered out, returning the landscape to its normal, habitable state. Simultaneously, he guided mana through his meridians, reaching the peak of concentration. With arms outstretched and hands open wide, he released the mana from his body through his fingertips. Almost immediately, the malevolent aura began to dissipate, and over time, the land transformed, becoming increasingly lush and verdant.

After approximately 15 minutes, everything was purified, yet Shin felt no fatigue whatsoever. It was as if he possessed an abundance of mana within him.

"Why do I have so much mana, despite only being in the Intermediate Mortal realm?" Shin wondered aloud.

[Host, due to your bloodlines, you possess a higher mana capacity, and they significantly reduce the mana cost of all spells and abilities]

Once again, Shin found himself pleasantly surprised by the capabilities granted by his new bloodlines.

Having gauged the potency of his light magic, Shin proceeded to test the other affinities he had chosen to cultivate. After thorough experimentation, he concluded that he possessed top-tier compatibility with all these affinities. It's crucial to assess compatibility with all your affinities. The greater your compatibility with an affinity, the easier it is to master, requiring less mana to utilize effectively.

Now it was time to develop techniques in preparation for the test. Shin deliberated on which abilities to create for each affinity, organizing his strategy for the upcoming challenge.

"I'll use poison for offense, lightning for offense and mobility, space for defense and maneuverability, and light for healing and self-sustainability, and I'll also use my bloodline abyssal gate to summon some monsters from the abyss to test my abilities against" he concluded.

With this plan in mind, he began with poison, focusing on crafting offensive abilities first. He contemplated the most effective ways to utilize his poison affinity, considering his bloodline skills related to poison, such as Poisonous Body, which could create poisonous rain and other effects.

Suddenly, an idea came to him: he could try merging all his affinities into a single technique. Given his bloodline ability, Natural Weaponry, and his mastery of close-quarters combat (CQC) from his time in the abyss, he envisioned creating elemental claws that combined his various powers. This approach would allow him to leverage his strengths in a unified and versatile offensive strategy.

Shin immediately sprung into action, sitting down on a nearby rock. He focused all his attention on his hands, envisioning retractable claws. Channeling his mana throughout his body, he first elongated his nails to resemble claws. Then, he visualized them becoming sharper, like those of a wild animal. Next, he attempted to infuse them with all his affinities, one by one.

Suddenly, BOOM! His hands exploded along with the claws. Despite the intense pain, he only winced, having endured far worse before. Allowing his hands to reform and heal, he prepared to try again.

Visualizing retractable claws once more, he channeled his mana through his body, elongating his nails. This time, he waited until they fully stabilized, enabling him to extend and retract the claws freely. Adopting a different approach, Shin decided to infuse each element one at a time, ensuring each one stabilized before adding the next. He hoped this method would yield better results.

This new approach proved to be far more successful. By infusing each element one at a time and ensuring stabilization before proceeding, Shin achieved remarkable results. He successfully created retractable claws that could be imbued with a single affinity or multiple affinities simultaneously.

Shin was pleased with his success, but he knew he couldn't afford to become complacent. His experience had taught him that setbacks could occur at any moment. Determined to stay ahead, he shifted his focus back to optimizing his use of the poison affinity, contemplating the most efficient and effective ways to harness its power.

***

-5 months later-

Over the past five months, Shin had worked tirelessly to develop the affinities he had chosen for the third test. For his poison affinity, he devised a technique called Poison Field. This technique combined his poison affinity with his bloodline ability, Poisonous Body. Shin would create poisonous air within a 20-meter circular radius with himself at the center. Then, using Poisonous Body, he could transform into a cloud of poison, becoming untraceable within his own Poison Field. Leveraging his space affinity, he could reappear and materialize anywhere within the field. Additionally, any enemies caught within the field would suffer from the toxic effects of the poisonous air.

Utilizing his space affinity, Shin developed a technique he calls Spatial Stretch. This technique allows him to manipulate space in multiple ways: he can expand the distance between himself and his enemies, effectively pushing them further away. Simultaneously, he can compress space to appear near his opponents nearly instantaneously. Additionally, Spatial Stretch enables Shin to evade attacks by elongating the distance between himself and incoming strikes, causing them to miss their mark. This versatile ability grants him unparalleled maneuverability and defensive capabilities in combat.

Next, Shin developed a technique he named Chain Lightning Frenzy for his lightning affinity. He begins by casting a lightning bolt that arcs from one enemy to another, chaining together and inflicting damage on multiple foes while disrupting their movements. Simultaneously, he enhances his speed by channeling lightning through his body. This allows him to move in an erratic, unpredictable pattern, striking the disoriented enemies with precision while deftly evading incoming attacks.

For his light affinity, Shin developed a technique he named Sanctified Armor. This ability allows him to either create armor made of pure mana or enhance the armor he is already wearing. The Sanctified Armor significantly increases the durability of his armor and grants additional resistance against both physical and magical attacks. It also protects against curses and corrupting presences.

Furthermore, the armor emits a healing and purifying aura, which continuously heals and purifies everyone within its radius. This makes Sanctified Armor not only a formidable defensive measure but also a source of sustained support for Shin and his allies in battle.

Shin took the opportunity to rest and recuperate until the moment for the third test finally arrived.

When the gatekeeper arrived, his demeanor was noticeably more polite. "Ready for the third test, challenger?" he asked.

Shin nodded in response. The gatekeeper then placed a hand on Shin's shoulder and once again tore through the fabric of space, transporting them to the location of the next test.