บท 20: Class Advancement

A/N: Sorry for the delays, had four tests went well. This whole month and the upcoming feb is just a grueling time because of finals week. Delays will happen but not dropping anytime soon! Enjoy reading, have fun!

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{Legendary Guardian System}

+Subclass advancement unlocked!

-Would you like to begin class advancement quest?

Yes / No

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Void's eyes gleamed with desire as he stared at the prompt.

'A class advancement, I need to do this sh*t now.'

Without hesitation he immediately pressed yes and a new window popped up, reading it's contents, he couldn't help but smile.

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Class Advancement Begun!

Quest: Embrace the Void!!

Objective: Kill three fallen captains with a Shadowshot super.

Rewards: Nightstalker Lv(10/10) ---> Nightstalker Shadowfiend (Lv 1/10) (Variant)

Changes: Shadowshot---> Shadowshot Deadfall : "Tether foes to a void anchor, weakening and suppressing them by 25% with increased range of shadow shot."

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'F*ck me I finally unlocked a variant class.' Void began muttering to himself, he could already imagine the stiffened faces of the fallen when they get trapped in his tethers.

Meanwhile, Tevis who had lead him here began to second guess himself as to Void's mental state..

'Is this guy talking to himself....'

The captain could almost swear the hunter had smiled at thin air. He didn't care much about psychological problems, after all, they were immortals. It was expected of them to have a few screws loose at this point.

It wasn't long before Tevis abruptly cleared his throat, snapping Void out of his trance.

"Ah...erm. Yes captain you were saying?" Void replied immediately.

Tevis glared at Void, clicking his tongue in the process.

Void immediately straightened up, not daring to ignore the captain any longer.

"If your done wasting my time, get in position. I will only show you this once, so you better get this inside your head." Tevis replied gruffly.

"Ye- Sir!" Void stuttered, immediately scrambling to stand in front of Tevis.

Tevis relaxed his body as he got into a natural stance. Void could frankly say there was nothing special about this stance but...

No matter he hard he tried to deny it, he couldn't quite put a finger on something that irked him.

"Listen carefully, your light is just energy. But don't treat it as an external power. That's a hassle and a big mistake. We are guardians, light is engraved into our very soul. Etched into the fiber of our existence. Use your light more casually. It's just like breathing, feel it, grasp its essence." Tevis mumbled, faintly entering into a trance.

His two palms laid flat, connecting at the wrist. Faint lilac energy flowed through his body. Emanating continuously, it pulsated similar to his heart beat. It flowed in his veins, simply like blood.

Void was mesmerized by the sight, Tevis seemed akin to a mystical hero in his eyes. One capable of using magic and mana. But the truth was, Void had just not realized his own power. His own mind had limited him in this aspect. It was not something he regretted at first, he had gained countless things in return.

However today, Void's heart wavered. For once he wished he knew more about 'light'. He wanted to make this power his own.

Tevis snapped his eyes open, as he glanced at Void gawking at him.

"What are you doing, I told you to get in position. We don't have all day. Stand straight and mimic this stance."

Void obediently placed his hands together, as he straightened his back. Trying his best to imitate Tevis's posture.

Void took a few deep breaths, calming his thoughts. He tried his best to "feel" this energy. He had used his light multiple times through his powers. But feeling the source of his abilities was something entirely different.

'Man I really should have read some of those cultivation novels. Maybe I would've picked something up from them.' Void sighed.

He'd been in this stance for a few minutes but nothing had really emanated from him. In the end, he scrunched his forehead trying his best to sense this energy and make it flow.

[5 minutes later]

At this point, Void was simply begging power to circulate. He was stood here in this ridiculous pose, for over five minutes. Not to mention that he had his eyes closed for the whole duration, he could almost swear that he'd heard Levi's choked laugh somewhere around the corner.

Annoyance filled his head as Void stood still, however he simply couldn't help it any more.

'System come on, make it work. Do something.'

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{Legendary Guardian System}

.....Please refrain from dragging the system into your potency issues.

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'Shut the f*ck up trash system'.....

Void decided to ignore this dogshit system of his and continued to try and feel the flow. However much to his disappointment, he couldn't feel anything at all...

Tevis who'd been observing him from the side was not surprised at all. In fact, he knew that if Void managed to "feel" his power in only five minutes, it would be nothing less than a miracle.

It wasn't exactly related to talent. All guardians had to overcome the hurdle of synchronizing with their own power.

A warlock wasn't someone just weaving spells, a titan wasn't just an unbreakable wall, a hunter wasn't just a deadly shot. Their true nature, was far more terrifying.

The older a guardian got, the more their powers manifested. Unfortunately, although immortal, guardians weren't invincible. The number of guardians who had fully realized their powers and then continue to hone it to the peak could be counted on one hand.

Tevis had been around for a few hundred years, so he understood it best. Perhaps better than most, what the reality of a guardian was. Whether he liked it or not, a guardian was a war machine. A finely tuned weapon capable of limitless growth.

However, a guardians power was akin to a blade, one that could only be sharpened through slaughter.

In his eyes, Void wasn't even one tenth of the way through. It was simple, he just hadn't experienced enough. The only reason he had exposed Void to this "method", was to widen his horizons, and potentially let him capitalize on the risk he would face in his next mission.

"That's enough for now." Tevis waved.

Void felt bitter as he broke away from his stance. His ego was completely deflated. It wasn't a stretch to say he was completely distraught that he couldn't grasp light fast enough.

' I got a chance but I blew it... How ironic, and here I thought the system could help me out.'

Tevis noticed his downcast look,

"Don't worry too much, it's not as easy as you think to feel your light. I am sure you will be able to in a few years." Tevis commented nonchalantly.

But to Void, it was simply a death sentence. 'A few years?'

He clenched his teeth. 'Who knows what's gonna change in a few years. Crota? The Vex? Too many enemies, too little time.' Void thought to himself.

Noticing Void still in a low mood, Tevis couldn't help but sigh.

"Listen, it's best you don't focus on it for too long. I wanted to expose you to this method to build up your future growth. It's not something you should expect to achieve in a few minutes."

He basically scolded Void. Tevis knew that young guardians were prone to disillusionment the moment they realized the path to power wasn't as linear as they once thought. It was his job as a captain to set them straight.

"Anyhow, normally it's important to feel your power before you apply it. But in your case, you seem to already be able to use your basic abilities, although they are severely limited in their application. Hence, I will try and teach you stealth in this session."

Hearing the last words, Void's soul returned from the depths of depression.

"If anything at least I will learn this skill today". He was instantly determined.

"That's the spirit. Don't worry, as a Nightstalker, you were practically raised for this." Tevis smiled.

"Although I showed it to you once, I think it will be best to demonstrate a simpler version". His words resounded.

Tevis's figure blurred as he disappeared. It was an immaculate use of his abilities as he had basically turned transparent. Although this time Void could faintly make out his appearance.

"This is the simpler version?" Void looked around, his glance following the blurred figure.

"Sort of, instead of completely erasing your presence you can make yourself transparent. It works in environments with low light. It's basically the bread and butter for a Nightstalker."

"It does appear useful but, how do I apply this?" Void asked, intrigued.

"Like I mentioned, normally, one would learn how to control their energy. But for a Nightstalker like yourself? All you need is enough exposure to the ability. Your instincts will gradually pick it up." Tevis responded, his figure reappearing.

Void understood what he meant, he did feel very familiar to this particular ability. Not only that, he could even partially replicate it using his shade perk.

"I am going to keep repeating this ability until you pick it up. Once you're able to perform a basic execution, we'll try it in different environments." Tevis said.

Void nodded at his words and his eyes began analyzing Tevis as the latter's figure appeared to blur in and out of view.

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A/N: Thanks for reading, sorry for the slow updates!