Chapter 49 - 49 - He Is Finally Starting To Use It

Seeing the sudden pause in the boy's movements and his frozen expression, Sera couldn't help but ask with a wondrous look on her face.

"Lucien, everything alright? What's wrong?"

However, the boy still didn't move, nor did he answer or react in any way. He was actually currently busy trying to make sense of the system's messages.

First of all, his newest passive, the Weapon Mastery. Focusing his mind, he instantly brought up its description.

[…::: Skill Page - Weapon Mastery :::…

Category: Passive Skills - Rank 1 - Progress: 0 EP - Depth: 0

Description: The culmination of knowledge about the various types of armaments crafted for battle. The holder of this skill has proven to possess the proficiency, capabilities, and knowledge in weapons that could go beyond the peak of members of humanity.

Mechanics: Base Skill - Can Evolve Further - Allows the host to learn and synthesize special, weapon-related skills. Passively provides expertise with any of the learned weapon knowledge.

Note: The skill is passive, thus it does not actively require any energy to remain in effect. However, keep in note that in case you enter the 'Weakened' state (The remaining energy goes to 0), all passive abilities will temporarily deactivate. :::…]

Looking at the floating text in front of his vision, Lucien's mind quickly started to race. This new revelation proved that for some skills, it was possible to comprehend them and make them recognized by the System through relatively normal means. He doesn't need to be a murderous bastard, a cold-blooded serial killer, but could grow stronger through a bit more orthodox means.

Even though he started to accept his new reality, he was still reluctant about the grim future that this new 'self' of his created for him. Was he destined to pave his way through mountains of corpses of his enemies? Was he destined to be an out-of-world monster, a feared, nightmarish entity that's main purpose, main driving force was to kill and absorb all the powerful creatures of the world? Maybe even beyond?

Now, finally, there was another way forward. Could he take it instead? Refrain from the bloodied, grim future? Was it possible for him?

Unfortunately, his pondering was swiftly answered, his newly emerged hopeful dreams crushed, destroyed before it could take root.

Answering his thoughts, the bloodied letters swiftly reorganized themselves, creating a warning from the other entity residing inside him.

[…::: With a few exceptions already available by ђภгєเєฬ, the skills can only be synthesized through the absorption of essences of recently defeated enemies. :::…]

Lucien could only frown at this, there was no point in arguing. He sighed, focusing his attention, on the newly acquired active skill, his first attacking ability: the Spiritual Slash.

[…::: Skill Page - Spiritual Slash :::…

Category: Active Skills - Rank 1 - Progress: 0 EP - Depth: 0

Description: Fuse your body with the culminated energies residing in your body, enhancing the next attack be it material or viral with Entropic Energy.

Mechanics: Although Viral Armament is the default method, at higher levels it will be possible to use the ability with any weapon enhancing the metal as well, although the cost of the skill will be increased.

The actual cost depends on Weapon Quality. Requires Entropic Energy. Base Cost: 4 EE (Virtal Appendage).

Note: Entropic Energy is the base source of Energy cultivated by the host through the Symbiotic Relationship with ђภгєเєฬ. Skill is unusable with other types.

Active Skills can be activated and deactivated by the host's mental command. :::…]

The second skill was an attack type skill, the first Lucien saw ever since his awakening. The abilities he showcased during his escape from the Facility had no signs anywhere in the system still, nor would Lucien be confident enough to rely on them. Being forced to be a passenger in his own body, watching as he uncontrollably slashed through dozens of corpses, even going as far as absorbing many of them, was not a trauma he was keen to experience any time soon.

However, looking at the skill, the frown retained its presence on his face. The skill was actually created to use with his right arm, making his first combat ability turn into a useless one right from the start. How could his mood not sour, his shock turned into an angry scowl?

Suddenly, he felt the touch of a familiar hand reaching for his right shoulder, waking him up from his deep thoughts.

"You okay, Lucien? What happened?" Turning to the side, he could see the concern, the worried look of Sera, leaning close to him.

Looking into her eyes a bit longer, Lucien sighed, shaking his head at the question. He shouldn't waste time and energy on these thoughts. At least not now. He had a task in front of him. The objective of their morning training, his goal if he wanted to venture out in the afternoon by himself and hunt, was to be able to land one successful strike on his self-proclaimed blonde-haired guardian's body.

Just one single, successful hit. It doesn't sound difficult, right? Still, he was unable to accomplish such a task.

"No... Nothing. I was just thinking about all that you have been teaching me." Lucien gave a weak smile, as he responded. Shaking his shoulders, he spread his legs, donning the starting stance he was taught just a few hours ago.

"Come, let's do it again. I think I got it now!" He said with confidence, reaffirming his hold over the hilt of his exotic-looking stylized eastern sword, the katana.

Seeing the boy's look, and his pose, Sera sighed with relief. It seems that whatever was troubling him, weighing on his heart was now gone. Well either that, or he just managed to push it back down, and there was no point in bothering him about it now. She nodded, turned around, and walked back to her previous post while making a mental note inwardly to ask him about it tonight.

After all, they don't have much time to spend here left, and while she managed to shorten to the distance they had between them, and the boy was no longer looking at her with cold, hostile eyes, it was still not at a distance that she was comfortable with. At most, she felt the boy looked at her like an acquaintance, maybe a distant friend, and not like family.

Sera sighed, forcing the wry smile on his face to return to the calm state as she took her post and got ready. She looked up, matching the boy's fierce, confident gaze, giving a slight nod towards him.

"If you are ready, you can come any time you want. There's no need to wait for my words; after all, in a real-life situation, the opponent will not wait for you to get ready." She spoke, holding the short sword leisurely in her right hand and keeping her left one free.

She was calm, smiling, her mythical source of holy powers wasn't flowing. She stood in her normal, depowered state. Still, it would be a mistake to think that she wasn't ready. Her eyes whilst radiated serenity, there was something more behind it.

—

On her words, the dark-haired boy at the distance suddenly charged ahead. His speed, however, caused Sera to suddenly squint her azure blue eyes, and focus on him. It was much faster than before, and just as he rushed ahead, she could see the faint traces of the eroding darkness seeping up, overtaking his white sclera.

'He is finally starting to use it, huh…' She muttered inwardly, tightening her grip on the hilt of her short blade, focusing on the fast movements of the approaching youth.