Chapter 138: Message Number Two

In this world of hunters, Overclocking my body is unavoidable. Ned thought, still closing his eyes. He could hear Rickart's voice spiking high and low while Keesha replied with a hum. The wind coming from the east, pushing the salty air back to the sea.

[You have gained enough proficiency to level up your skills, Ned.]

[It was also possible since your body grew.]

The more I developed my body, the more it could sustain my skill sets. Ned thought arching the tip of his lips.

[Yes.]

ICE chimed, her voice spiked up, as if happy for Ned.

[And a more developed body you is the more it could sustain recoils from your spells.]

Ned agreed, with different things going on inside his body, ICE was there supporting him. And he couldn't thank more about this. Especially his friend Calahir by giving him his creation.

Remembering Calahir made his thought to wonder at the wiggling envelope notified with a red dot. Above the bars of his mana was the notification ready to be open.

[Do you want to proceed, Ned?]

Ned went silent inside his thoughts. Through these messages, encrypted inside his system, was the only way to see his friend once again. "Yes," he said.

Ned responded and with a chime, the notification zoomed in his display. It filled his view with a blue display. A sound came tapping. The display then changed to the message.

It was a finger: long, slender finger with white nails kept on tapping the display.

"Is it on?" The man behind the finger said. It was Calahir. His voice Ned couldn't forget: it was fruity and appealing. Ned smiled hearing Calahir's voice and witty performances.

"ICE, is it on?" He kept on tapping the display with a thud-thud sound. He then pulled his finger away from the recorder.

[Yes, Boss.]

It was ICE's old voice, still robotic and flat, that responded inside the display.

The room was clinical white. It was the same room as the first message, just with a different angle. To Calahir's left was a single cylindrical glasses crammed with mutation. Behind him was a steel cabinet filled with figures and books—thin, white, and some colored. One of the books shows figures of human or humanoid creatures, with horns sticking out, standing around a chair in their black suit. Beneath the chair was a wolf with a drilling horn. And on the chair was a glob of white to ocean blue sphere, it looked smooth and sticking, and as if moving by jiggling.

The title of the book was covered with papers and other figures. But the holographic display was vivid that Ned could at least read the uncovered title: 'Rein—as—ime'.

But, Ned doesn't have any idea as to what the book was about since he was more focused on his friend. His face was the same. Straight, high and pointy ears, and brows arched with elegance. No amount of blemishes or specks could be seen on his face. His scientist's eye squinted looking at the display.

["Where am I?" he said looking at the paper he was hiding, but some part was visible to the display. "Ah, yes! Leveling up, content six, page sixty-nine."

He read the paper with a hum-hum sound. "Body… available only if… " he said murmuring. "Hen... to get stronger and ma… in case of... code te… and survive… tai."

He then looked at the display. His thin eyes rounded to see the display was on. He then slaps his forehead, as if remembering something. "It was on, it was on," he said. "Of course. Ela! Ned! You did it. By the time you're receiving this message, you must be on a faraway planet—and obviously not Earth as to what Kamma had said. How did I know? You leveled up Overclock. You must be under pressure by using Overclock to the point you increased its growth."

He then brushed the paper away from the screen. Leaned his long arms against the white table. He wore white clothing, like a lab coat, with metal buttons. Aside from his voice, the room was near to silence. A silence Ned wished to have.

"Also by now, you must have used mana to perform magic. As a side note, any skills you learned; be it skills your memory stored from the Empire of Sskat or skills you learned during your travel into that only you know the name planet"—]

Ned smiled under his breath. "Earflgard my friend."

[—"can be level up." Calahir stopped. Closed his eyes thinking of something to add. "As for the elements, your body was made to accommodate different kinds of it.

But choose wisely what to use, depending on the state of your body, there could be no recoil or massive recoil. I'm guessing you favored to use Egnious, don't worry, you can use it. ICE can guide you to the process until you are ready. And being the first of your kind—the second-generation clone—Engineers decided to make your body increase its growth over time. Which means, the more you grow, the more your body can accommodate recoils from your spells and Overclock.

So take it easy. Remember the spell you used to save the inhabitants of Planet Eicchi? It's a no-no. Not until you reached a certain level. I suggest you use your planet's way of learning skills. That way, by the time you want to learn the stored skills in the system, will be easy for you. Remember planet Eicchi, it's a no-no."

"Wherever you are, Ned," Calahir sighed, he lowered his shoulder. "I hope the path I gave you will lead you to what you desired."

"That's it, Ned!" He said, now with joy and shoulders lifted high. "Remember planet Eicchi: no big spells; less worry. Become stronger and face the future that is waiting."

Calahir then stood and said: "Novaer, Ned. Novaer." He smiled and reached for the display. "Also, this message will be destroyed. So, you won't see me for quite some time. Novaer."]

With a click inside the display, the message Calahir had sent has vanished. Ned took a long breath, opened his eyes, and looked at his hands. Closing and opening it. "This is me now," he muttered. "Thank you, my friend."

The wind brought along a stench of smell. Iron and sweat mixed together. It was foul that even Erin turned his head to where the smell came from.

Behind Ned was a sound clanging of metals.

"Darwyn!" Keesha cried. Running toward Darwyn.

Ned stood and spun to see the bloodied knight kneeling—no, crawling on the ground. No swords, blonde hair sticking with blood, and no more hot-headed face.

"Sidric—" Darwyn said and fell unconscious on the ground.