Chapter 219: Silent Triumph

Chapter 219: Silent Triumph

Chapter 219 - Silent Triumph

Kai watched the notification hanging in the air. His boot got caught in a root, but Makyn grabbed his backpack before he had any chance of tripping. Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m

Thanks. He regained his footing with an embarrassed look.

The people who turned at the commotion quickly lost interest. Only Bert grumbled something unkind under his breath.

Any danger? His porter peered at the bend in the tunnel. It was nice knowing the man had enough confidence in him to expect he wouldnt trip for no reason.

Alas, Kai couldnt discuss the matter with twelve other people present. All quiet. The King must know itd be at a disadvantage down here. He tried to contain the smile tugging at his lips and dismissed the Guide.

Whether Makyn believed him or not, the man gave a curt nod and went back to studying the path for threats.

Mages and soldiers trudged through the meandering tunnels without a squeak from the evil lizard. The lack of any remarkable discovery brought them into a monotonous rhythm. No one realized something remarkable had happened, a life-changing event in the dripping quiet of the underground.

Like all goals someone pursued for years, he was so used to them feeling unreachable that his mind struggled to wrap around his success.

I did it.I brought a skill up to Yellow.

Disbelief morphed into elation as the reality of the situation sank in. He had acquired Mana Sense on his second birthday, more than ten years ago. The third skill he had ever learned. Now it had ticked the last level, ready to evolve.

Kai had earned four levels since the Republic recruited him a little more than two weeks before. It was a ridiculous pace even with Gifted Novice boosting his gains, though the Guide rewarded risk and new experiences.

He had been involved in two mana anomalies on Kawei, scoured ancient ruins, fought multiple yellow beasts, talked with a god, avoided spatial tears, and got stalked by an elite monster. Throughout all that, he had never stopped using Mana Sense for a moment.

Hmm it might not be so outrageous after all. Should I wait to see the evolutions?

They were treading in the most dangerous place Kai ever visited. The basilisk had dug out sections of the underground with no apparent logic. He would have suspected it was a ploy to lead them deeper, but the overgrown tunnels were too old for any amount of devious planning.

They had passed a skeletal old tree, its roots extending into the nearby rooms. Carpets of vines and flowers covered entire chambers where scant rays of light filtered from the broken towers. Walls of mushrooms filled the damp tunnels in between.

Even if incomplete, the number of excavated tunnels was astonishing. It must have been the work of a bored King over its long rule, or perhaps, the continuous effort of a long line of them. The site had the highest concentration of mana in Veeryd, any dominant specimen throughout the millennia must have burrowed around here.

While there wasnt a whisper of danger, broken plants and clawed imprints served as fresh reminders of the King. There were no other awakened beasts around, and strangely enough, much fewer mana herbs than Kai expected to find.

Okay, show me what I got.

Mana Sense (lv100)

As you reach the final milestone, you are presented with four choices to continue your journey to new heights:

Advanced Mana Sense (lv1) Persist on your path. The Essence of the World has many bottomless depths waiting to be explored. Elemental Vision (lv1) Detect and understand mana embedded with the meaning of an element. Your ability to sense it will be proportional to your affinities. Mana Observer (lv1) Cast your attention on a subject to untangle its mysteries. Focusing on a specific target will reduce the clarity of your surroundings in proportional measure. Mana Sight (lv1) Channel your ability to sense mana through your eyes to see as far as your sight can reach. Your ability to sense your surroundings will neither wither nor grow.

Plenty of choices, yay!

Specializing a skill at the milestones allowed him to experiment with different abilities and potentially unlock specific evolutions. They were important decisions, but they werent final. There would have always been more chances to adjust the aim when the skill advanced to the next grade.

Once he evolved Mana Sense, the change would be permanent. Hed be stuck with the skill unless he grinded it back from Orange. Since it had taken ten years the first time, Kaid rather not screw this up.

Yeah, no pressure at all.

He kept an eye on the path as he examined the four options. Perhaps it would be wiser to postpone his decision till he was back to the camp, though an evolution might help him glean more from the ruins. Spirits knew if he would get any more chances to explore these tunnels.

Walking beside him, Makyn would soon noticeif he hadnt already. The porter was too keen to miss his eyes moving back and forth on words that werent there. It was enough not to attract everyone elses attention.

Now the fun part. What do I pick?

Not every skill possessed a straightforward evolution, though it came as no surprise that Mana Sense did. Even at level 100, his skill still had a wide margin of improvement in both range and precision.

Advanced Mana Sense was the safe option if there was no alternative. It would give him no distinct advantage and close no door.

Mana might have countless depths to explore, but my time is limited. I cant do everything. Hmm Ill put it aside for now.

*Ding*

New Feat: For evolving an Orange skill to Yellow through your own efforts before your fourteenth birthday, you are awarded: +1 Favor!

Uh thats a bit cheap, but Ill take it.

Grasping to the stingy nature of the Guide, Kai got his euphoria under control with the help of Improvisation.

The reward of the feat would have probably been higher if he was still restricted by his Second Seal, and netted him nothing at all if he had used elixirs to boost his skill. Overall, he was pretty satisfied, it would have taken him another year to evolve Mana Sense without a profession.

Good news I assume? Makyn gave him a vaguely amused look, his voice was barely a whisper.

Yes. Kai focused on their surroundings in case anyone else noticed.

They had reached a vast chamber overgrown with pale blue flowers. Each plant was a red herb near the peak of the grade, and there were hundreds. The garden was marred by five random claw imprints as if the basilisk couldnt stand its beauty.

Activating his skill, the meadow turned alight with flowing Water mana. Inside such a dense area, Kai was momentarily overwhelmed by the number of motes he could perceive. Colorful elemental particles swirled around him as if his affinities had all been blessed again. Even elusive Space mana stood out with no trouble.

The details and range of his skill had doubledand that wasnt even the selling point of the evolution. When he focused on a single bell-shaped flower, it was like pointing a spotlight on a dark stage.

Every single channel and capillary transporting mana appeared in excruciating detail as if it were a palm from his nose. Kai blinked to divert his attention, and the world returned to his new normality. It would take some time to get used to the blinding colors.

His gaping had not passed unnoticed, Bert was watching him with a sneer and shared a chuckle with another soldier. It seemed everyone attributed it to the small fortune at their feet.

The rest of the team was less obvious than him, throwing cool glances at their surroundings. These werent the first mana herbs they encountered, though they were the most numerous by far.

Why are there no flowers that reach Orange? Kai wondered aloud to sell them on their fantasy.

A bit greedy are you, boy? Bert snorted. Everything you see belongs to the Republic.

Then you have the nerve to call me greedy

The basilisk probably eats them as they mature, the Earth shaper spoke up, attracting everyones attention. She bent to pick a flower with an elegant bow and gestured to the claw marks around the meadow. The whole underground complex must be its garden. It probably harvested the plants early when we invaded its den.

A bearded mage dismissively waved his hand. Even if that beast had the foresight to tend a garden, which is debatable, it cannot consume random plants. The basilisk will need to share an affinity or some other attribute to not get poisoned.

The woman stored the flower in her robe with no hurry or annoyance. If it were an orange beast you might be right. But this so-called King of Veeryd must be a C or B-ranked beast, it wont have a problem digesting them. Even if the benefits are minimal, its not like it costs him anything.

Okay, I changed my mind. That lizard is the greediest of all.

Thats just a theory," the bearded mage said, soon falling into another debate with his fellows.

Taking advantage of the impromptu stop, Kai checked his progress.

Name: Kai TylennRace: Human 129,472 > 141,838 / 300,000 XP Profession: Mana Child lv 8 5,900 > 7,300 / 13,000 XP

Body stats

Strength: 22Dexterity: 24Constitution: 26Mind: 37 (29+8)Spirit: 46 (34+12)Perception: 27 (23+4)Favor: 38>45

Profession Skills:

Gifted Novice (lv70>96) Mana Echo (lv79>100)

General Skills:

Hallowed Intuition (lv13>18)Mana Engraving (lv1>3)Mana Observer (lv1)Mana Manipulation (lv83>87) Empower (lv77>79) Inspect (lv77>79) Runes (lv67>68)Water Magic (lv61>65) Blessed Swimmer (lv57) Alchemy (lv57) Nature Magic (lv50) Herbology Advanced (lv47) Swordsmanship Advanced (lv40>41) Improvisation (lv28>32)

Risking his neck had paid off.

After making a pact with Zervathi, his Favor had almost regained its rightful place in the lead. It was a pity he couldnt evolve Mana Echo without evolving his profession first.

Oh, well I cannot complain, Hallowed Intuition made up a third on its own.

Using Mana Observer to get used to the changes, Kai was ever more sure the swirling essence around them must have an origin. The currents were chaotic but not random. He might just have a way to find where they led.