章 156: Chapter 156 - Regrets and Realizations
"How long has it been?"
Prominence Alpha woke up in a workshop that it had only been to once before. And, upon opening its eyes, the Spirit of Fire was greeted by the sight of a human standing directly in front of it.
"About a week," Rynold answered.
It was exactly a week since Rynold had returned.
His abrupt arrival in such an injured sent shockwaves to nearly everyone he knew. Right about now, though, he had fully recovered and was in his workshop trying to get something done.
Speaking of which, this past week for Rynold was relatively calm.
He spent those days hanging out with his friends, checking up on Eileen and some physical training sessions that Jack had been so eager about.
Rynold had only gotten back into the workshop this very day.
As soon as Rynold got back to the workshop, he immediately pulled the Spirit of Fire. Rynold needed its help in something. Something that he hoped he would be able to create.
"A week? What happened back then?"
Answering, Rynold explained the series of events that had occurred. Even though the bad taste left in his mouth hadn't gone away, Rynold had a much easier time telling the same story this time.
That being said, Rynold also added his encounter with Lumie, the Emissary of Order. Rynold thought that he would be able to get some experience from the Spirit.
Unfortunately, that did not go as well as he had hoped.
"An Emissary of Order, huh?" Prominence Alpha said as it stroked its chin.
"I thought that was a myth. Back in the day, people usually told those stories to scare children. And, those who continued to believe it throughout their adulthood were branded insane. Hard to believe that those stories were true."
The Spirit of Fire's rather reminiscent statement aligned with the devil's thoughts. The conversation that Rynold and the devil had seemed to carry a tone of truth to it.
But, now that the Spirit had indirectly confirmed it, Rynold was somewhat surprised.
Regardless, Rynold carried on. He hadn't the luxury to think about those things when he had other things to do.
"Anyway," Rynold crudely changed the subject, "I need your help in making something."
Rynold's intentions were straightforward, something that he was sure would work well in convincing the Spirit of Fire.
"Will this something be my new vessel?"
"Unfortunately, not," Rynold answered, "But, making this would definitely help in making your new vessel in the future. As for now, though, I need to get this idea out of my head."
Throughout this past week, Rynold was in a slump.
Initially, Rynold had no new ideas for any new gear or weapons. What's worse, the supposed Mech that he had been so proud of making had broken. The Miniature Floating Platform broke when Skeem had shot him out of the sky.
But then, something within him suddenly sparked.
It was an uncanny device that even Rynold himself was skeptical of its feasibility. But, if he managed to make it work, Rynold was sure that he'd only become stronger.
"Now, I'm not really sure if this would work, but hear me out," Rynold started his rather long explanation.
"My strength isn't on the same level as those of my comrades. Being an Augment-oriented Magic User, the impact I have in battle highly depends on my positioning. That being said, even if I'm on the frontlines, my overall power is still minimal. I suspect that this is because of my overall strength and magic class."
Whenever Rynold had time to himself this past week, the occasional thought would pop into his head.
'How can I get stronger?'
It was evident before that his strength hasn't improved as well as the others did. And, upon deeper analysis, Rynold suspected his class [Technomancer] wasn't a class suited for battle.
If it weren't clear to him before, it was much clearer when he sparred against Jack.
"Well, that's not much of a surprise," the Spirit of Fire confirmed Rynold's suspicions. In fact, he seemed rather expectant of it.
"Augmenters are hard to cultivate because of their steep growth path. It's not a straight rise to the top. Augmenters take a severely longer time to reach the next level. This is precisely the reason why powerful Augmenters are rarely ever seen. Sure, they're common in most Magic Users, but they aren't the type to stand out."
Upon hearing that, Rynold's expression immediately sunk. Somehow, he regretted following the path of an Augmenter, not that he had a choice in the matter.
But, his disappointment didn't stop there.
"Consequently, your strength lies in your intelligence, which is a bad combination with Augment-type magic. Those two are following very different paths. In which case, you can't maximize one without minimizing the other."
The Spirit of Fire pointed something out that Rynold didn't even notice. It was no wonder why he didn't much stronger presence compared to Oliver and the rest.
Rynold was literally screwing himself over.
Intelligence was something that would be taken advantage of by other types of magic. All of them would have benefits when paired with intelligence, especially Caster-oriented ones.
Augment spells, however, were rather more brute and straightforward compared to the rest. Something for which Rynold wasn't built. Sure, he had the talent of Augment-related magic, but that type of magic doesn't really make much use out of his intelligence.
"Relax, kid," the Spirit of Fire spoke after noticing Rynold's disheartened expression. "You're not doomed just yet."
Rynold looked dead straight to Prominence Alpha's face. With a steeled expression, he spoke.
"What the hell do I do about it?"
Ever since Rynold had returned, he had only ever felt bad about himself. Well, at this point, he was sick of feeling that way.
If he had time to feel sorry for his own ass, he had time to make preparations to be stronger.
"Learn a different type of magic altogether. Hell, even the basic ones will do. Each type of magic has its own limitations. Limitations that I'm sure you'll have no problem breaking."
'A different type of magic...'
The cogwheels in Rynold's head started turning. The idea that he previously had was nothing compared to this new one. Rynold was determined to become stronger, no matter how many hours and how much effort he had to put into it.
With a smile on his face, Rynold started to pull some materials together. Suffice it to say: it was going to be one hell of a long night...
Meanwhile, out in a small open space, Oliver was training.
He had a rather determined look on his face as he sprinted. Oliver had been training every day ever since he had gotten back from his eight monthlong mission.
However, he was a lot more intense in his training today.
As beads of sweat started to run down his face as he stopped to take a beat, Oliver was serious in pushing himself past his limits. All this effort was because of Rynold.
After his straightforward confrontation with Rynold last week, the two had been rather casual with each other.
No, it wasn't awkward one bit. Actually, the tension between the two seemed nonexistent.
Rynold had acknowledged his mistakes. Oliver knew this. He knew that the guy wouldn't do anything that stupid again once he pointed it out. But, that all seemed to be circumstantial.
That was because Oliver could actually know what Rynold was feeling with just a glance. Call it instinct when it comes to his best friend. What Rynold thought to be a facade was basically as plain as day from Oliver's perspective.
The guy looked frustrated. It was the same look when Rynold had realized he screwed up an exam back at the academy.
Only this time, the source of his frustration wasn't anything Rynold could laugh about after.
That being said, Oliver didn't know what Rynold would do next. And, the anxiety certainly didn't help. Especially not after what Rynold had so casually mentioned after dinner the night before.
"I'm going to go back to the workshop tomorrow. I probably won't be out after some time."
Two sentences. Two sentences were all it took for Oliver to feel worried and anxious. The uncertainty of whatever Rynold was trying to do pushed him to train harder than normal.
'Damn it.'
Oliver started running once more; only this time darkness seemed to have wrapped around his very feet. It was his Equip spell, and it was his first time using it in training too.
"Frustrated, are we?"
The devil, who was usually asleep, woke up due to Oliver's strong feelings and dark magic. Normally, the devil would turn a blind eye to whatever Oliver was doing.
But now seemed to be an opportune time to mess with him.
"Shut up!" Oliver said as he gritted his teeth. He knew that the devil was trying to take advantage of Oliver's agitation.
"Ah, humans... Always fighting amongst yourselves. The same trend still occurs to this day, huh? One person thinks they're right while the other also think the same. Tsk. Tsk."
Oliver clicked his tongue. The devil had a way with its words, but Oliver had more often than not tuned it out. However, his agitation got the better of him as he argued back.
"What the hell do you know? You're a devil. You don't get to dictate human behavior when you know nothing about us."
Stopping dead in his tracks, Oliver frustratingly lashed out at a nearby plant, smashing it into pieces.
"That may be the case, but you humans are your own worst enemy. We devils don't even have to do anything as we watch your race ruin itself within centuries."
As if speaking from experience, the devil knew that humanity was a joke. Every small step they take would cost way too much. The devil had known this after centuries of watching humanity create more problems for itself.
"So? What's that got to do with me?"
Oliver didn't know what point the devil was trying to make. And, at this point, he was too agitated to stop himself from asking.
"Oh? Does it have nothing to do with you? Is that what your inconceivably small human brain is telling you? You're saying that you have no human relation you're in conflict with? Not even, let's say... your family?"
His expression immediately darkening, Oliver soon realized that the devil was trying to make Oliver face his own regrets. What's worse, Oliver knew that the devil had a point.
"Did that hit a sore spot? Hehe. I said my piece, so I'll leave you to whatever you were doing."
Even though the devil didn't see the look on Oliver's face, it knew that he had hit the mark. Simple words were all it took for Oliver to take the bait and face his own demons.
It was an approach to ensure Oliver would cause his own ruination.
Now alone, Oliver stood in silence. He stared at the floor beneath his feet as he realized that he had left his family in an overrun city, that he had left them in a dangerous place with barely any protection against the magical forces.
Oliver stood perfectly still for a while as he slowly realized what he had done. He didn't move a single inch until Strider came up and barked at his master, who had been standing so still.
"There, there...," Oliver kneeled and patted Strider on the head. The wolf had been with him all this time, and Oliver was thankful for it. "See, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
With a somewhat regretful look, Oliver tried to force a smile. But, no matter how much he tried, Strider seemed to know his intentions.
"Let's go see Rynold, shall we?"
Out of everyone in the Tree, Rynold was the only one who knew of Oliver's particular family situation.
Even though he didn't want to bother Rynold at what could be an important moment, Oliver knew he would understand how grave the situation might be.
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