Bab 31: Creating New Moves
Outside the Crimson Empire's Capital City, beyond the city's bustling outskirts and well-trodden roads, lay an untamed forest. The trees loomed like silent sentinels, their ancient branches stretching skyward, filtering the golden rays of morning sunlight into fragmented beams. Shafts of light danced along the moss-covered ground, illuminating faint wisps of mist curling between the roots. The air was cool and still, carrying with it the faint hum of life—birds chirping distantly, insects humming their quiet chorus.
Beneath one particularly gnarled tree, its roots sprawling like the weathered hands of an elder, sat a boy in still meditation. His presence was almost unnatural in the calm, as if the world itself had paused to observe him. The boy's back rested against the massive trunk, his posture so steady it seemed carved from stone.
Black hair fell loosely over his shoulders, faint streaks of cyan glowing faintly in the filtered light. His face, was angular and sharp. With his pale skin and vivid blue eyes—now hidden behind closed lids.
For past few hours, Alex had remained still, his breathing rhythmic, his chest rising and falling in perfect harmony with the pulse of nature around him. But then, with a slow inhale, his eyes snapped open.
The blue in his gaze shone fiercely, sharp and alive, as though a spark of lightning had been trapped within. The corner of his lips curled upward into a faint smile—subtle, yet brimming with an unspoken excitement.
Alex rose to his feet, fluid and deliberate, brushing dirt from his black tunic and adjusting the worn leather vest clinging to his torso. He took a slow step forward, his boots sinking slightly into the soft earth. Then, with an outstretched hand, he opened his palm.
The air shifted.
A nearby rock—solid and rough, no larger than his fist—quivered on the ground. Slowly, as if drawn by invisible strings, it lifted into the air. The rock hovered for a moment, spinning lazily within Alex's control.
Then he snapped his fingers as the rock shot forward.
WHOOSH!
The sound split the air like a razor's edge as the rock exploded from its hovering state, propelled by an unnatural gust of wind. It moved at a speed that defied logic, a blur of gray slicing through the forest air. The force of its motion tore at the ground beneath it, dust and stray leaves spiraling in its wake.
Alex didn't move.
The rock barreled toward him with frightening precision, its path locked onto his abdomen. The wind howled in protest, the pressure enough to ripple his clothes as it approached.
CRACK!
The rock struck.
For a split second, there was no sound but the dull, visceral thud of stone meeting Alex's body. Alex's body jolted as the rock tore straight through him, emerging on the other side in a spray of dust and fragments, and hit the tree behind him as the tree shook and fell down. The moment felt etched into reality—his hair whipped back, cyan streaks glowing faintly as the shockwave pulsed outward, scattering leaves and dirt across the clearing.
Alex stood still, a jagged hole punched clean through his torso. Blood did not spill, no cries of pain tore through the air. Then in an instant wind filled the whole as the chest whole got filled. His face lit up—not with agony, but with exhilaration. His smile widened, sharp and predatory, like a man who had just conquered an impossible trial.
"Fu*k yeah!" Alex barked out, his voice echoing across the empty forest. He clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with a wild, satisfied light. "Finally! I created this skill."
"I've been working on this skill for a while now," Alex muttered, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Breaking through Rank 2 finally gave me the inspiration to pull it off."
This wasn't the first time it had happened. When he broke through to Rank 1, he had felt something strange—a sudden surge of understanding, a vision of something greater. Back then, he brushed it off, unsure if it was just his mind playing tricks. But now, after breaking through Rank 2, it had happened again. So, after he broke through he knew that he could get more inspiration from breaking through ranks.
Alex named this skill Elemental Body. The skill uses wind as the main element, transforming Alex's body into an elemental state of pure wind. In this form, his physical body becomes intangible, allowing any solid object or attack to pass through him without harm. For example, when the rock sped toward him at incredible velocity, it pierced through his abdomen, yet left him entirely unscathed. The rock passed cleanly through, as though his body was nothing more than a gentle breeze in its path.
This ability grants him a near-invulnerable state for the duration of the skill, making him immune to physical damage. But this form came with certain limitations too.
This skill takes a substantial toll on Alex's mana reserves each time he activates it. Currently, he can only sustain the form for a maximum of 20 minutes in active use. Pushing beyond this limit risks severe consequences: after 20 minutes, Alex's body enters a weakness period due to the strain of maintaining an elemental state for too long. During this period, his body becomes sluggish, his reflexes dulled, and his mana regeneration slows to a crawl.
Even though the side effects are severe, Elemental Body still remains the best defensive ability in my arsenal. When activated, it doesn't just make him immune to physical damage—it fundamentally changes what he is. In this form, Alex becomes the wind itself, untouchable by blades, fists, or any physical force. Arrows pass through as if he were never there, and even the ground beneath his feet seems less real.
By becoming one with the wind, Alex's body moves faster than ever before. Gusts of air carry him across the battlefield, allowing him to dart through tight spaces, evade attacks effortlessly, and reposition in an instant. There's no friction, no weight holding him down. He can traverse distances that would normally take minutes in mere moments.
In this form, Alex is not just faster—he is free. Free from the restrictions of a physical body. Free from the fear of an opponent's blade. So, now he almost have a set of skills that compliment each other, Elemental Body served as both his ultimate defense and unparalleled movement skill, while Wind Sense granted him the edge of heightened awareness, acting as a sensor or investigative tool. When it came to offense, Alex had a variety of techniques in his arsenal, such as Wind Bullet and Wind Blade.
Yet, even with these techniques, a glaring weakness remained—breaking through heavily fortified defenses like using wind bullets it took a lot of time for Alex to defeat the Razor beast. Wind, by its nature, excelled at support and utility, its strength lying in versatility rather than raw destructive power. While it could be devastating when paired with other elements, such as amplifying fire magic into roaring infernos or boosting water spells into torrential waves, on its own, it struggled against sturdy, heavily armored opponents or constructs.
"What if..." he murmured aloud, a flicker of inspiration sparking in his eyes. "What if I could create a skill something akin to a hydrogen bomb using wind magic? It's not far-fetched. Hydrogen is a gas, after all, and wind magic manipulates air…"
He needs to use his wind element to manipulate hydrogen in the atmosphere. By concentrating wind currents, Alex gathers hydrogen molecules and compresses them into a dense, volatile core. Once the hydrogen concentration reaches critical levels, Alex ignites it by creating an intense spark through air friction, mimicking the principles of a hydrogen explosion.
"But I'm not good with chemistry; this will make it difficult to create the skill," Alex muttered, as he closed his eyes and he started to recollect the inspirations he got when he broke through to Rank 2. Alex used some of his brain cells to about this skill in the inspiration time, as this was his idea he got after he fought an earth boar in the forest, So he should now just focus on implementing it.
Alex moved his hands slowly, his eyes still closed in concentration. His movements were deliberate, almost ritualistic, as he positioned his palms facing each other, one hovering just above the other. The faint hum of mana resonated in the air as he began to channel it, drawing the wind around him with delicate precision.
The wind gathered between his palms, swirling softly at first, like a gentle breeze caught in a confined space. Cyan tendrils of light danced within the forming sphere, glowing faintly as the wind condensed further. Minute by minute, the sphere grew more defined, its edges sharpening into a perfect, compact shape.
The ball of wind, now fully formed, hovered in the space between his palms. Its cyan glow pulsed rhythmically, as though it had a life of its own. Tiny particles of mana drifted away from it like sparks from a dying ember, shimmering faintly as they dissipated into the air.
Alex's brow furrowed slightly, beads of sweat forming on his temples as he focused even harder. With each passing moment, he injected more of his mana into the sphere, carefully threading it into the already dense structure.
As he was doing blood started to flow out of his nose, but Alex stil compressed the wind ball in his hand and enduring the pain. After a few minutes the ball of wind was three by fourth reduced as the wind ball stopped releasing any particles. Alex opened his eyes as he showed a happy expression on his face, his eyes were bloody and blood is still dripping a lot from his nose.
"Now I am done gatheirng Hydrogen from the air, just one more touch and I am done making this skill." Alex thaught to himself as he used his mana only a bit not much, he knew if he used mana excesively when igniting this skill, the skill will fail and it will cause blackslash as it will blast and he will die.
As Alex continued compressing the cyan wind sphere, the strain on his body grew unbearable. Blood began to drip from his nose, staining his upper lip and chin, but he ignored it, his focus unyielding. Every fiber of his being was locked onto the task at hand, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he endured the pain coursing through his body. Alex's hands trembled under the pressure, but his resolve remained firm.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the ball of wind was reduced to three-fourths of its original size. It hovered between his bloodstained palms, its surface smooth and still, no longer releasing the faint particles of air it once shed. Alex's eyes fluttered open, bloodshot and rimmed with exhaustion. His pupils glinted with a fierce satisfaction, though streaks of crimson now ran down his face, dripping onto the ground.
A weary, triumphant smile broke across his lips. "Now I've gathered the hydrogen," he muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and barely audible. "Just one more step… one more touch, and this skill will finally be complete."
Alex's thoughts raced as he steadied his breathing, his hands carefully holding the compressed sphere. He knew what came next was the most critical part—the ignition. His mind played through the process, calculating every possibility, every risk. He understood that even the smallest mistake, even a fraction too much mana, would cause the entire skill to fail catastrophically. The hydrogen could ignite prematurely, resulting in a backfire that would obliterate him instantly.
With grim determination, Alex channeled only the faintest whisper of mana into the sphere.
The flow was meticulous, the drop of mana carefully guided, avoiding even the slightest disturbance to the volatile structure surrounding it. The sphere thrummed faintly, a low resonance that echoed in his ears as the cyan glow deepened, gaining a dense, almost liquid quality.
As the mana reached the center of the sphere and settled there. The wind ball began to solidify, its surface smoothing into a flawless sphere. The swirling particles within slowed, condensing around the core where the mana now resided. Alex's breath came in shallow, measured pulls. His palms moved apart, the sphere hovering momentarily before settling into his hand, it felt weightless.
Blood dripped steadily from his nose, painting crimson streaks down his chin, but Alex's expression remained steady. The fatigue in his body was overpowered by the triumph flickering in his eyes.
He held the sphere aloft, observing its perfect form. Despite the bloodshot eyes and the streaks of red on his face, a quiet, victorious smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"It's done," Alex murmured, his voice low but stead. "Fu*k yeah!" shouted in the end.
— Bab baru akan segera rilis — Tulis ulasan
Status Power Mingguan
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Power 
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stone