Chương 104: B2 Chapter 25

[One suitable custom Skill Fusion has been detected. Fuse [Mana Shaping Lv. 20], [Reinforcement Lv. 20], [Compression Lv. 16], [Mana Bolt Lv. 20], [Mana Shield Lv. 20], and [Magical Warhammer Lv. 15]?] The Scripture was redundant. It was actually surprising that it was still there, considering the weave had already been completed. [Skill Fusion initiated and completed. Skills [Mana Shaping Lv. 20], [Reinforcement Lv. 20], [Compression Lv. 16], [Mana Bolt Lv. 20], [Mana Shield Lv. 20], and [Magical Warhammer Lv. 15] have been fused and removed from the Ancient Scripture.] [Skill [Arcane Construct] has been learned.] Hakon nodded slowly to the Scriptures. Information flowed through his head, informing him of what his new Skill was capable of. And while that didn't appear to be much at first – [Arcane Construct] could only do what the Skills used in the fusion could do – there was a lot more to it. [Anomaly has been found. Creation of a Superior Weave with minor guidance has been detected.] [Named Feat, Young Weaver, has been granted.] The two Scriptures materialized before him, bringing a smile to his face even when Astrid's mother punched him in the face again. Her fist rocketed through the Scriptures, snapping his nose for the fifth time, but even when Hakon crashed to the ground, he smiled.

"What are you smiling at, weakling?" Mera snarled, though Hakon could tell that she didn't really mean it. For all that she tried to show everyone that she hated him, she was way too kind. I know you like me, he thought, what he didn't dare say out loud. Nonetheless, they both knew that Astrid's happiness was what mattered most to them. And to keep her happy, Mera had to make sure Hakon survived against Ulfar. Furthermore, seeing Astrid happy with him made Mera happy as well.

Even if she didn't like the chieftain and didn't think too highly of his Ancient Power, yet, Astrid's mother accepted him. More or less.

"How can I not?" Hakon responded, mana roaring through his veins as yet another set of Scriptures materialized beneath the last one. [Named Feat, Young Weaver, has been granted.] [Compatible Ancient Power has been detected. Enhanced Comprehension has been enhanced.] [Young Weaver has been triggered. Arcane Construct(Rare)] evolved to [Arcane Manifestation(Epic)] [Third Wall has been weakened.] [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] Pain faded from Hakon's realm of existence.

It was only momentary, yet it felt like an eternity as power unlike anything he'd expected surged through his body. The weave created from his Skill Fusion expanded and unfurled into something even grander than he had anticipated. It flooded his spirit form as it grew to three times its size. While that also left a lot less space for his other Skills to grow, evolve, or fuse into grander weaves, it was perfect.

Power rocketed through his veins, and that was not solely because of the mountainous amount of mana flooding his Core and pathways. Mera didn't give him any time to study the changes. She was already upon him, daggers flashing in her hands. But this time Hakon was ready. His mind rattled as he reached for the Will of Momentum. It heeded the call even more easily than it used to, so he leaped to his feet and shot to the side, pumping [Circulation] and [Swiftstep] full of mana and Will respectively. Not enough.

He was far from satisfied, but he escaped Mera's grasp for a moment. And that brief opening was long enough to call upon [Arcane Manifestation] for the first time. He half-expected the Skill to be hard to use, but that couldn't have been more wrong. Mana surged toward [Arcane Manifestation]'s weave in tidal waves. It triggered smoothly even though not even one-tenth of the weave had been empowered. But that was enough. Hakon took a moment to think about what to do before triggering [Split Focus].

Everything that happened after became even easier. A single regular-sized round shield materialized between him and Mera. She struck it just as she had struck the previous shield, but it flashed vibrant blue as the more enhanced versions of [Reinforcement] and [Compression] empowered it, strengthening it enough to block her strikes. She slashed the shield once, thinking it would fall apart like the others, but it prevailed. A quick second slash ought to fix the mistake, yet it only left a second gash on the shield.

Hakon, once he stopped bothering to think of the most efficient way to deal with a monstrosity like Mera, hurled the mana shield at his mate's mother with a burst of mana. Too slow. Weirdly irritated by seeing the shield smash into Mera, Hakon conjured a bolt made of the most compressed and reinforced mana he could wield at this moment. Then, more out of instinct than anything, he triggered the Will of Momentum and forced its power into the burst of mana he sent into the bolt.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Everything felt like it was never supposed to be different as the mana bolt whistled through the air. It moved faster than Hakon could follow with the naked eye, yet with [Sensory Expansion] active, he caught a glimpse of the bolt flashing past Mera's blades. The bolt was about to hit Mera in the neck, tearing through it with the tremendous force of the strongest of his Skills, when she moved.

The restrictions laid upon her were all but forgotten as she vanished before his eyes. A shockwave splashed into his face, and another heartbeat later, cold steel pressed against his neck, cutting into him, ready to behead Hakon if need be.

"That…" Mera's voice rang out from behind. It was not a voice of utter shock, yet the trace of surprise that lingered in it filled Hakon with immense pride.

"What was that? I was about to die." The cold steel pressed against his neck disappeared. He spun around to find Mera staring at him, confused yet also intrigued.

"You wouldn't have died," Hakon corrected her.

"Of course, I wouldn't have. But at the 2nd Ascension, I—..." She stared intently at him.

"At the 2nd Ascension, even close to breaking the Third Wall, I would not have blocked that attack. It would have killed me. Only with a Will." Mera looked like she wanted to say more, but her lips clasped shut. As if…

"Do the Ancestors forbid us to talk about Wills?" That didn't sound quite right. Then again, I'd never heard or read about Wills before, no matter how little sense that made. The older generation taught us how to become the greatest of warriors, so they should have told us about the Wills.

"I do have a Will, so you don't have to worry about that. I think?" Her eyebrows rose.

"You have a Will? But you have yet to break the Third Wall."

"Is the Wall to the 3rd Ascension related to the Will? I guess it makes sense that the Ancestors rewarded me with a weakened Third Wall when granting me the Will." A snap pulled Hakon out of his thoughts. [Vitality Stream] pulled his nose back into position.

"We don't tell young warriors about the Will of the Ancestors. For that is what the Wills are. Another source of power provided by our forefathers. A power for us to discover." Mera grunted.

"But it is not a power to be taught. It is something warriors have to learn on their own to earn the Ancestors' approval. To reach and surpass the Third Wall." Her expression grew somber, almost painted, as she continued.

"The oldest of Barbarians learned the hard way that those who were taught about the Wills had to go through the hardest of challenges and acquire the mightiest of Feats to attain their approval. Acquiring a Will born from the enlightenment of another never bears the sweet fruit of success. For every Will is unique, made for the warrior who wields it." Wills were powerful, yet they also sounded dangerous if treaded wrongly. That was how Mera seemed to feel, at least.

"I once taught my daughter about the Wills. And, no, this is not about Astrid. I am talking about my first child," Astrid's mother said, her expression downcast. She looked downtrodden and vulnerable for the first time since Hakon had known her. And that had been many cycles, when he'd been a young troublemaker…and when his own mother had still been with them. That was how long Mera and Astrid had been part of Tribe Taskur.

"You have another child?" Hakon asked the painful question even though he could guess the answer.

"Had." Mera looked up, pain and anger in her eyes.

"I lost her, and it was my fault." Hakon never planned to turn their training session into something like this, whatever this was, but he listened nonetheless. Because it looked like Mera had to get it all out after keeping it in for so long.

"I tried to turn Sia into myself. A better version of myself, because she had everything she needed to surpass me." Mera was powerful, and so she wanted her daughter to be even greater. To rise and rule a tribe, maybe even...

"So, I ignored the ancient teachings and taught Sia all I knew about the Wills—my Wills. And she acquired them. Learned them all within a few cycles. And what did it do?" Her tone grew in volume, so did the cloud of emotions erupting from within her.

"It killed her. I killed her." For a moment, it looked like Mera wanted to say more, but she kept it in once more. Hakon listened. He kept his ears sharp and listened intently, and, oddly enough, everything she said made sense to him. Not necessarily the part where Mera killed her daughter by teaching her, that part actually felt like it made no sense at all, even with Enhanced Comprehension active, but everything else. The Will of Momentum was part of him. Momentum was everything.

It was what every warrior needed to engage truthfully in combat. And to emerge victorious. Without momentum, even the greatest of powers would be useless. It felt like Enhanced Comprehension was working even harder than before as a myriad of thoughts and ideas flashed through his mind. Momentum. Movement. Hakon moved around. Slowly and smoothly. And smooth was good. Moving felt like a shift of power. Like it provided power. Every step accumulated it, stored it, and… distributed it?

It moved through him, stirred his insides, and whenever he used the Will, it was depleted. And the more he moved around, the more he created and stored the energy, and the more he used it up with extreme movements. Using the Will deprived the existing energy of its greatest power as well. That was when he realized that the energy used by the Will of Momentum was neither Stamina nor his very life. If anything, it was more like a mixture of both, with the addition of the momentum his body accumulated.

And it was somehow stored within him. Inside his muscles, allowing him to release it all at once to wield power surpassing his physical limitations. Hakon swallowed as the enhancement of Enhanced Comprehension settled within him. Feeling more in tune with himself than ever before, he lowered his body and looked up to his opponent. Mera's downcast expression was no more. She pushed her feelings aside even before Hakon met her eyes, but when they did, something shifted once more.

Mera shifted ever so slightly and got ready. She knew what Hakon wanted, and she was riled up to give him just that. A spar, but not against a restricted form, the equivalent of Ulfar, but against someone much stronger.