Chapter 235 Aura



In the midst of a dark forest covered in black mist, four people were sitting next to a huge fire. 

Each of them was drastically different from each other. One was a bull, one was a cat trying to find a way out of this simple situation as soon as possible.

The third was a mysterious man, with apparently great power and many hidden abilities as well as the terrible incidents that he brought to this world.

The fourth, on the other hand, was different from the others in that he was only taking the first steps on his journey. The more Zayne immersed himself in the world of the Fallen Fate, the more he realized that his path suited him.

Crackle. Crackle. Crack.

The crackling sound of dry twigs snapping under the fire spread around, creating a pleasant atmosphere. Neither the cold wind nor the eerie black fog could disturb them, on the contrary, it only separated them from the rest of the world, allowing them to focus on their goals.

Initially, the calmest was Edvin, obviously, he was the strongest here, so he had nothing to worry about. Even Toruf, the Arisen Grade Creature was not an opponent for him, he was far beyond the comprehension of the others.

However, even Kota, who was more nervous than the rest, gradually calmed down, after all, she was in serious trouble first. This was expected since the flavor of well-cooked crocodile meat could elevate anyone to the heavens.

"Damn! This is actually delicious!" Toruf exclaimed, eating the massive piece of meat, it was one of many that had disappeared into his mouth in the past few minutes.

"Hey! How can you eat so much?!" Kota exclaimed unhappily, no longer afraid to act aggressively towards Toruf, "I still haven't finished the first piece and you've already taken the sixth!"

"Hahaha! Doesn't that make sense? I'm so much bigger than you, so I should also eat more! Zayne, Edvin, am I right?" Toruf smirked.

Edvin nodded silently, "Yeah, that makes sense. It's both a plus and a minus of having a big body. Size alone gives you strength and toughness, but to maintain that shape you need resources. Simply put, tens of thousands of calories."

"See? One slice will be enough for you, but certainly not for me!" Toruf said majestically before swallowing the current piece and moving on to the next.

Despite Toruf's best efforts, there was still plenty of meat left of the crocodile, enough for a whole group of soldiers to eat, though even they wouldn't be able to devour the whole thing.

"Calories? Is it that simple?" Zayne gave Edvin a questioning look, "Kota said you tossed Toruf aside with a simple palm strike. Doesn't that mean you're stronger than him, even though you're much smaller?"

Edvin nodded, "That's right. I'm much stronger than Toruf." Edvin said calmly, without any arrogance. Toruf didn't bother to say anything since it was a fact, and in a real fight, he would definitely lose to Edvin. 

"So...?" Zayne raised an eyebrow.

Edvin sighed, "You know, you were able to take him down too, even though you're only in Terror Grade, it's practically a miracle. However, I can't call it a true miracle, because it has an explanation. From the power you used to the Second For of your dance, but none of that is as important as one factor."

Zayne stared intently at Edvin, waiting for an answer.

Edvin took his time, he just ripped off a massive piece of meat from part of the crocodile and said, "Energy."

"Ah...? You mean mana?" Zayne tilted his head in a confusion.

Kota and Toruf looked at each other as mocking smiles appeared on their faces. What Zayne was saying was really stupid to them, but they didn't comment on it in any way, leaving it up to Edvin.

"No... You still haven't figured out how this world works..." Edvin shook his head, "Well, in that case, you're lucky I'm here. Look, there are two types of energy, internal and external."

Zayne nodded with a curious expression, "What is the purpose of external and internal energy?"

"You already know." Edvin calmly replied, "Since it's just terminology. In fact, the external energy is mana, hence the power of your skills, the internal energy determines the overall condition of your body, hence your physical performance."

Edvin looked at Kota, then at Toruf, "Obviously, these two have more internal energy, however, they also have external energy, it's just that it's much less. Also, the power of energy is that if Kota were to reach Arisen Grade, she would have a chance of winning against Toruf.

She would still be weaker, but much faster... Well, I guess that's not something I should tell you, since you use a similar fighting style yourself."I think you should take a look at

"Hmm... I see... And we choose how to distribute our energy ourselves, right?" Zayne looked at Edvin.

He realized that the energy Edvin was talking about had been in the form of Status Points all along. However, what was he supposed to do now? 

Zayne wasn't sure what would happen in the future, but he realized that he probably wouldn't have access to Status Points like other Players, at least not in full.

Edvin shook his hand from side to side, as if Zayne's assumption was both true and not.

"Look, before you asked me to tell you more about the Awakened Process and how Toruf determined your and Kota's Grade..." Edvin muttered with a calm expression.

Zayne nodded while his focused blue eyes reflected the flames from the fire.

"These things are connected. In fact, until you go through the Awakened Process, you don't have the body control to distribute energy on your own, though it seems Travellers have some way of doing it, it doesn't last forever..." Edvin said enigmatically.

Then, he continued, "To distribute energy, you need to do certain actions. For example, practicing will make your energy become internal while learning spells will direct your energy to the outer layer. However, after the Awakened Process, everything changes."

Edvin took a deep breath, "I won't give you all the details, after all, you have to figure it all out yourself and go through the Chaos Trial. However, I will tell you that after the Awakened Process, you will realize where else your energy is going. After all, besides the outer and inner paths, there is a third... Well, partly you already know about it."

Although Edvin wasn't saying anything directly, but only telling what Zayne had already encountered, Zayne still understood everything clearly.

'This strange power is definitely a third pathway of energy, but, I have no control over it at all... However, once I go through the Chaos Trial, then everything will become clear to me, right?' Zayne pondered, with a complicated expression.

It was hard for him to realize how the new world worked, Fallen Fate was no longer a game to him, and Zayne had already fully accepted that. Especially after the recent events involving Chaos's. 

"Also, there's something else." Edvin mentioned, "All three of the sources through which the energy is channeled have a single circuit, so... they're all connected. It's a measure of your strength, not including your experience, skills, intelligence, and other external factors."

Edvin glanced at Toruf, then he looked at Zayne, "It all creates what we call an aura. Those who have passed have many ways of knowing what Grade the creature in front of them is, but the fastest and most common is the aura, though it is the least accurate."

"However... Toruf determined mine and Kota's Grade without error..." Zayne muttered with wide eyes.

Edvin nodded, "Yeah, when I said it's the least accurate way I meant exactly what I said. It doesn't mean that using this method you'll be wrong often. The probability of error, depending on factors, is 1 in 1000."

Then, Edvin pointed at Kota, "Look, she's also on Terror Grade, but if you use everything you have you'll defeat her. There is some margin of error, but Toruf and I can tell which of you is stronger just by your auras, though we have other ways."

Crackle.

Edvin lifted off the ground, looked up at the blue moon, and took a deep breath.

"You have not yet gone through the Awakened Process, so you do not know how to see the auras of others and control your own. However, I have long since learned this art." Edvin said coldly.

"Before you go to Chaos Trial, let me demonstrate something to you. This is something you can achieve... Aura isn't just a mark of our energy, it's the embodiment of our power!"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At the same moment, the air rippled, as the ground shook slightly, with Edvin as the epicenter. From his body, voluminous streams of crimson energy emerged, spreading throughout the Dark Mist Forest.

Zayne gulped, as a chill ran down his back, and goosebumps ran down his body. Kota instinctively pressed herself to the ground as her fur stood up, and Toruf took a few steps back.

The crows perched on the branches as well as the hundreds of beasts lurking in the forest nearby scattered away, unwilling to face a monster with such a terrible aura.