LIGHTNOVELONLINE 27. Sharpening Skills
Chapter 27 – Sharpening Skills
Even though it was noon, the forest was eerily quiet. Aenon trudged across the thick foliage, while practicing his Mana Manipulation skill. He had always assumed he was great at stalking, but the wolf pack, his pack, had proved otherwise. Which brought him to the realization that he needed to advance his stealth capability to match the packs’. He planned to get his mana manipulation to a higher rank, as that was how the beta had detected his presence. His scent had escaped the mana bubble he had made using air wisps. And Aenon had made the mistake of being upwind from them, trusting it to work flawlessly.
For now, the pack had settled down in a cave after their filling meal, and so Aenon ventured out alone. It was weird, but he had a clear sense of the direction they were in. Like a built-in compass that pointed to each wolf. He was not sure of the range of the ability, but he was about 50 miles out, and it still worked. He refocused on the badger-like animal hiding in the bushes underneath him. It was much bigger though and had spines in its fur, along with foot long claws that it was using to tear into a goblin carcass.
The badger had a bunch of Earth wisps floating around and clinging to the spines, which Aenon assumed were valuable since his quest log required him to collect 50 of them. Under normal circumstances, he would have killed it and retrieved those. But since he was practicing stealth, he wanted to try something different. This was Aenon’s third attempt to get close to the creature. After many trials, Aenon realized the senses the creature relied on. It had a horrible sense of smell and sight, but it always buried itself into the ground in a blink at the smallest of ground vibration. So Aenon had to find a way to dampen his footsteps. His boots could do the trick in a heartbeat, but he wanted to do this without.
He first studied the wisps clinging to the spines. Contrary to what he thought earlier, the wisps were not pure ground aspect based. They had some gravity aspects mixed in, an 80-20 ratio by his estimate. So, he tried making his own wisp by collecting the freely available ground and gravity aspects. It was much harder than he assumed, but his adept level skill and classes helped him a lot. He was able to compress a ball of dirt very tightly, till it felt more stone-like. The gravity aspect allowed him to vary the weight of the stone ball. And if he maintained contact with it using a mana thread after throwing it, he could potentially change its weight mid-flight.
After juggling three spherical stones of his own making, he moved onto the next phase of his plan. He tried attaching the wisps to his feet, but they refused to stick. So, he covered his bare feet with a thin layer of mud, which did the trick. Although, if the mud fell off, the wisps would go with it. So, he compacted the dirt into makeshift shoes to keep them in place while using mana threads from his soles to maintain its weight and eliminate vibrations. He tried his new stone shoes and sneaked closer to the badger. He only managed to get within 10 feet each time before the darned thing dived into the ground.
It was an exercise in frustration, as he tried repeatedly for the next 6 hours, but failed each time. Thankfully his soul sense ensured the badger could never truly get away. The closest he got was 3 feet when a notification popped up which broke his concentration, making him stumble. Since this was not a combat scenario, the notification had unfortunately gone through.
Aspect proficiency increased: Gravity (+7 %)
Aspect proficiency increased: Earth (+3 %)
Skill proficiency increased: Tracking (Expert)
Skill proficiency increased: Mana Manipulation (Expert)
He screamed and stomped in anger, cursing the dumb System and whoever had designed it. Getting within an arm’s reach of his target and failing because of a stupid notification was maddening. Unfortunately, his venting had spooked the badger further, since it refused to surface after that. Aenon decided to review his stat sheet while he waited patiently for it.
Name
Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race
Ascended Human (F)
Level
1
Class
Void Stalker (0/100)
Level
2
Subclass
Abyssal Warden (0/100)
Level
1
HP
15065
MP
15265
HP/min
302
MP/min
309
Stats
Strength
1507 (1376+131)
Intelligence
1527 (1380+131+8+8)
Constitution
1508 (1377+131)
Willpower
1545 (1384+131+20+10)
Dexterity
1510 (1379+131)
Perception
1521 (1382+131+8)
Titles
Rebirth (0)
+1344 all stats
Skills/Effects:
(1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells.
(2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level
(3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers.
(4) Can bypass certain System restrictions.
(5) Unfettered: ???
(6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Alpha (1)
+50 all stats, +30% stats in presence of your pack
Soul Forge (1)
+80 all stats
(Really) Late Bloomer
+1% stats from Titles
Skills
Slot 1
Stealth (Woods, Urban) – Savant
Slot 2
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) - Savant
Slot 3
Tracking (Woods) – Expert
Slot 4
Mana Manipulation - Expert
Mana Aspects Proficiency
Physical
Conceptual
Earth (61%)
Heat (46%)
Air (12%)
Gravity (28%)
Fire (36%)
? (2%)
Water (23%)
-
Light (37%)
-
Dark (90%)
-
Life (6%)
-
-
-
He wondered how long it would take to reach Savant rank in Skill without the use of System Points. He hadn’t received SP in quite a while now, and he started to realize just how precious they truly were. The last and only time he received SP since coming here was for clearing the goblin horde, and it was a pitiable 50 SP. So far, he had received 250 SP, and spent 244 of it, of which 120 were for merging. He didn’t really regret it, since it helped in achieving a lot, but he did want to get more. He pulled out some System Rations to quell his hunger while waiting for the badger. He didn’t want to attract any sharp-nosed critters if he took out the meat skewers.
After another 2 hours the badger finally came out, putting Aenon on high alert. The elusive creature was more cautious than ever, but so was he. He modified the stone boots into a very thin one, which made them a bit flexible. This played well with his Stealth Skill in dampening his footsteps further. And within 20 minutes of slowly creeping up on his slippery target he finally managed to grab and pull out 2 spines before the creature dove back into the ground. But this time it stayed there, so Aenon had to move on to a different target.
He found a group of 3 badgers having a tussle to impress what Aenon assumed was a female. The female had a lot more spines and Aenon managed to sneak up to her and pluck 8 in one go. The poor creature shrieked in pain, making the three males to charge at him to protect her. Aenon backtracked into the trees, while the males made a defensive circle around her. For whatever reason they did not dive into the ground to escape. And so Aenon spent the next three hours sneaking in and plucking more spines from the female. Unfortunately, he did earn 5 nasty holes in his legs for his trouble.
After losing 25 spines in total, the female finally had enough, and escaped into the ground, leaving the males all confused and lost. Aenon managed to gather 10 more from them before they too escaped. It took him another 5 hours before he managed to collect the rest before nightfall. His ability to sneak up on them had improved significantly, as reflected by his proficiency level up notifications.
Aspect proficiency increased: Gravity (+14 %)
Aspect proficiency increased: Earth (+5 %)
Unfortunately, his Skill proficiency didn’t increase, and his earth aspect proficiency didn’t increase much as compared to gravity. This proved that it was harder to increase proficiency at higher levels. But it was exponentially easier to cast and maintain his stone boots. Just to give it a try, he put on his Abyssal Boots and tried having a stone layer outside, and it surprisingly worked. He thought about it and decided to increase the ratio of gravity aspect in the layer and managed to float above the ground for a few seconds.
A bulb went off in his head, and he took a running start before leaping high. His enhanced strength made him shoot up 25 feet in the air, and just as he was about to start falling, he controlled his new boots and did something every gamer dreams of – a double jump. He solidified the stone layer and locked it in space using its gravity aspect, allowing him to use it like a platform. But the mana cost was insane, 1000 mana per platform created. Which meant he could make 15 platforms before he ran out. He made two more platforms before dropping back down to the ground.
Satisfied with his progress, he ran back to the cave to rest for the night. As he entered, he saw the wolves lazily lying about with Bane sitting in a corner. As Aenon approached, the beta sat up straighter and gave a bow.
“I assume the hunt was successful?”, he asked.
“Yes, it was. Needed to collect 50 spines from Earthen Badgers, and boy were they difficult to sneak up on. Learned a few cool new tricks though”, Aenon replied while collapsing on a pile of dried leaves and moss he had placed at the highest platform within the cave.
“Ah, yes. Those are tough to lock down since they bury in at the slightest sound. Not a lot of meat on them though. So, we generally leave them alone. Not worth the effort”, Bane responded.
“Well, they were good practice. Anyway, I am going to take a nap. What do you plan to do?”, Aenon asked while yawning.
“We will go patrol our domain to make sure there are no interlopers. Your recent challenge will attract scouts from the other alphas, and we need to be prepared. I will leave my mate to guard the cave while I take the others to hunt.”
“Your mate?”, Aenon asked curiously.
“Yes, alpha. Wolf packs have only one breeding pair, while the others help raise the young and hunt. Since I was the alpha, that responsibility was mine. This is my mate, who is expecting a litter soon”, Bane said as another wolf walked up to them. This one was the second largest of the pack and had a fierce gaze.
“She is not sapient yet, is she?”, Aenon asked.
“Not yet. But she understands me, which means she is close. Maybe in a few more levels, she might.”
“She has a fierce quality to her. You two suit each other”, Aenon said with a smile.
“Does the alpha have a mate?”, Bane asked nonchalantly, throwing Aenon in a for a loop.
“Ahem. Ummm… yes and no”, Aenon responded uncomfortably.
“What is that supposed to mean?”, Bane asked while tilting his head to the side.
“There is someone much stronger than me, trying to force me to accept his… offspring. He even used some soul magic to force the issue. I need to figure out a way to get out of …”, Aenon paused mid-sentence as Bane suddenly stood with his heckles up. Even his mate started growling in anger.
“Who is this creature that dares to use soul manipulation? That too on our Alpha. A soul is sacred, and no one is supposed to mess with one”, Bane said with a growl.
“Why are you so worked up though? Did your souls not get tied up with mine? You even said you can never surpass me because of it”, Aenon was surprised at the angst.
“Soul synchronizing is different than soul domination. We did it by choice. And yes, it limits our growth, but there are two crucial differences. Firstly, should you mistreat us, or we lose faith in you, we can break the pact. A dominated soul cannot. And more importantly, you misunderstand what I mean by limiting our growth. With synchronization, it’s a two-way connection. Our potentials boost each other. You get a boost from us, while it gets easier for us to catch up to you. But in a domination, the dominated soul’s growth potential is shackled without any benefit.”
“What kind of benefit?”, Aenon asked with narrowed eyes. He was starting to realize how deep the Overseer’s deception went.
“You are getting a 30% boost as an alpha while in our presence, correct? Well, so do we. But if you had dominated us, then you get the boost, but not us”, Bane replied grimly.
Aenon sat up in his makeshift bed, his sleep disappearing with this new revelation. His anger kept increasing the more he learned about this Overseer. But unfortunately, he didn’t have the resources or power to do anything about this. Yet. Looking at how worked up Bane was, Aenon decided to bury his anger deep, letting it simmer for now.
“Calm down Bane. We are not ready to take that man on. But we will. So, focus on growing in strength”, he said while rubbing Bane’s snout. Bane and his mate calmed down at that, but he could feel their worry and anger through his soul connection.
“Rest, Alpha. We will be back in a few hours”, Bane said before barking once to gather the 6 wolves while his mate lay down in corner near the entrance of the cave.
Aenon lay back on his bedding and pondered about his situation for a bit before falling asleep. He slept peacefully before waking up around dawn. All the wolves were back and resting too. They had even dragged in a dead deer with bright red antlers. The antlers emitted small puffs of smoke occasionally, and Aenon found fire wisps around them. There was an entire leg right next to his bedding, which was probably his share of the kill.
Aenon stood up and went out of the cave to relieve himself before returning. He set up a small campfire to roast the meat and sat down next to it. The wolves were curious about the fire and some of them cautiously approached it while sniffing. He threw a cooked piece to the wolf that had bravely approached the fire the furthest. She smelled it a couple of times before tentatively licking it. Satisfied that it was safe to eat, she devoured it one bite and sat down on her haunches right next to Aenon, wagging her tail in anticipation.
He threw a few more cooked pieces to the gathering wolves, before enjoying his own while watching a pair playing tug of war with a piece of bone. Aenon smiled at their antics. They were just like dogs, if one ignored their size and demeanor during hunts. Bane barked once when the rough housing got too bad, immediately ending the skirmish. When Aenon was done with his meal, he stored the rest of the cooked meat into his inventory. It would sustain him for the next three days if he rationed it right.
“What is today’s goal, alpha?”, Bane asked while walking up to him.
“Well, yesterday I practiced hiding my footsteps using mana manipulation. Today I plan to focus on hiding my scent. Any good prey nearby that focuses on smell-based detection?”
Bane thought for a while before answering, “There is a particular type of horned rabbit that is rare in the parts. It’s extremely fast and can detect smells from miles away. Normal horned rabbits are white, while this one is green in color. I picked up its scent yesterday to our East. That should be a worthy challenge.”
“Excellent. I will go for that. In the meantime, I have a task for you as well. Here is a list of creatures that I need you to eliminate. It’s part of the System Quests I need to complete for the village nearby. I am assuming it should count as complete, since our souls are linked?”, Aenon asked after some thought. He wanted to whittle down these quests while simultaneously finishing his training.
“Yes, it should count. Consider it done. We will also scout out the nearest Alpha predator for your challenge”, Bane said with a bow.
“Sounds good. Do I need to make them surrender or accept me as their alpha?”, Aenon asked.
“No, Alpha. Not every predator will submit. The only reason I did is because our souls were similar. Most other duels will be to the death.”
There was no remorse or hesitation in Bane’s tone. Aenon understood this was not out disregard or indifference. This was how wolf packs operated. Fights and attacks on neighboring packs happened all the time. Leading to death and destruction. But it was not out of greed. It was just their territorial nature.
“Gotcha. See you later Bane. Good hunting”, Aenon said while heading out. It was going to be a long and tiring day.
………………..
Blake
Blake’s eye twitched as he stared at his quest log. The updates made no sense to him. He was getting quest completion notifications one after another, which wouldn’t have been odd if he was leading a full guild. But these were quests assigned to one man, and the locations of the quests were from two opposite directions of the village. How was one man in two places at once was beyond him. But the bigger concern was that he had underestimated the monster again. Some of these beasts were almost level 100 and would require a full party of adventurers to bring down. And he had already received 5 kill notifications in 6 hours. One was in the east while the rest were to the west of the village.
One possibility was that he was a summoner. But only one summon was possible at a time and the summon couldn’t be this far away from their master. Even if you neglect that, summoners were weak themselves and it was not possible to have kills while the summon was elsewhere. While he was contemplating this, his wine bottle forgotten in his hands, the bedroom door opened as Vincent burst in.
“What the hell is going on? I have already had 8 completion notifications since morning. But they are from two directions. Is there a separate team I am not aware of?”, Vincent asked in confusion.
“I don’t think so. This man is somehow completing quests by the dozen in two different locations. I am assuming he is some kind of strong summoner type class.”
“But summons can’t be this far apart…”, Vincent tried explaining, but Blake cut him off.
“I know, Vincent. I know. I have no idea what is going on. I just know this. You were right about not messing with this guy”, Blake said as he received another notification.