บท 19: Chapter 19:Dark Rain
After finishing his night patrol , Noah returned to his room.
He turned on his phone and chatted with Gwen about their day. Once he confirmed there was nothing unusual going on with her, he wished her goodnight.
Noah put down his phone and opened the system mall. He hadn't checked it in a while and wanted to buy some new skills since his current attack methods felt too basic.
He scrolled through the options, searching for something that suited him. After a while, his eyes glazed over, overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices.
It wasn't that he was being too picky—some of the really good skills were way too expensive, and the more affordable ones didn't appeal to him.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "This one looks good," he thought.
Noah clicked on a skill called "Dark Rain".
"Wow, this skill looks powerful," Noah thought as he read the introduction.
Noah was eager to see how the skill worked, so he immersed himself in the mental demonstration.
In his mind, he saw a figure standing on the ground as black clouds with a faint glow began to rapidly form above. From those clouds, heavy rain of black, needle-like drops fell, covering an area 800 meters long and wide.
Wherever the rain fell, it left small dark holes, from which wisps of black air rose.
"Anyone with trypophobia would freak out," Noah mused.
That was just the basic version of "Dark Rain." When he looked at the intermediate version, he saw that the range expanded nearly tenfold, the time to gather the clouds shortened to just a blink, and the damage increased significantly.
But for now, Noah could only afford the entry-level version. The points required to upgrade were staggering, and the string of zeroes made his head spin. He hoped he could gather enough points before the upcoming battle in New York.
As for the advanced level, it was completely locked until he reached the intermediate tier. Noah couldn't even see what it looked like yet.
After purchasing "Dark Rain," Noah felt a bit empty, so he browsed the mall again. He realized he needed a better knife. The ones he'd been using were just basic straight blades.
He checked the weapons store, and a blade called "Soulreaper" caught his eye.
Its sharp, cold steel gleamed with a menacing aura. Noah instantly fell in love with it. The price, however, was steep, and after buying it, he'd barely have any points left. But the knife came with a free sword technique, which saved him from needing to buy more skills.
"Ah, what the heck—let's go for it," Noah said, gritting his teeth. "I've already spent this much, so why not?"
In an instant, most of his points were gone, leaving him just enough to buy some bullets and grenades.
Noah drew the Soulreaper, admiring its cold, gleaming edge. It really was a great knife.
Excited to try it out, he jumped out of his window, heading to a secluded area by the river.
Once there, Noah took out Soulreaper, recalling the sword techniques in his mind. There were only three: Slash, Block, and Thrust.
The techniques emphasized simplicity, avoiding rigid forms. Mastering these three would eventually lead Noah to find his own style.
He focused and made his first strike.
"Slash!" With a shout, a dark blade of energy shot from the knife, slicing a shallow gap in the river before the water closed up again.
"Thrust!" Noah slashed several times, and each strike split into smaller blades mid-flight, causing continuous splashes on the water's surface.
He sheathed his sword and exhaled. He hadn't yet mastered "Block," and he could tell there was more power in the moves he had performed, but it would take practice to fully unlock their potential.
Next, Noah decided to test "Dark Rain."
Noah focused on the skill in his mind and then felt a cold power flowing from his heart.
Looking up, Noah saw dark clouds gathering quickly in the sky. All it would take was a single thought, and dark raindrops would begin to fall, turning the area below into a sieve.
He realized that when he activated the skill, he could mark friendly forces so that they wouldn't be harmed. This was a welcome surprise, as he had thought it was an indiscriminate attack.
After he had tested the skill without fully activating it, Noah dispersed the dark clouds, not wanting to leave behind any obvious traces.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Noah sat under a tree by the river and thought, "Maybe I should develop some of my own skills, so they feel more natural to use."
He brainstormed for a while, then stood up with a plan in mind.
Placing his hand on the ground, he summoned sharp spikes, glowing with a dark light, from the earth around him.
Then, with a single thought, the spikes softened and turned into tentacle-like vines, moving like snakes.
"It works!" Noah exclaimed. These were two new skills he'd developed using venom—the first created spikes to impale enemies, while the second transformed them into tendrils to bind and control foes.
The only way to avoid the spikes or tentacles was to take off quickly, which required the enemy to not only react fast but also have the means to fly.
"I am a genius," Noah boasted, half-jokingly.
But there was truth to it—he was smart. Over time, with Venom possessing him and accumulating intelligence from those it bonded with, Noah's mental acuity had grown.
Now, with Venom resting, Noah continued refining his new skills. After some tweaks, he could now summon the spikes just by standing still, without needing to use his hands. It would make the attack much subtler, catching his enemies off guard.
Pleased with the results, Noah ran a few more tests, watching the spikes rise up and follow him as he moved. The skill worked flawlessly, though it drained a fair amount of venom. After several uses, Venom was exhausted.
Noah let Venom rest, promising a reward of Beef ribs later. That promise seemed to revive Venom's spirits.
Finally, Noah thought about naming his new moves. The spikes reminded him of thorns, so he decided to call the first move "Thorn Hell" and the second "Thorn Quagmire," perfect for trapping enemies.
After practicing, Noah carefully erased any traces of his presence, cautious after the ambush by mutant assassins. Leaving evidence behind could give his enemies an advantage.
Once everything was back to normal, Noah returned home for a well-deserved rest.
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