Chương 15: Chapter 13.2

2 As he bounded around, his every move adjusted to the feeling that lingered in the back of his mind, Hakon could not help but think about his growth. The Rite had only been a few nights ago. Night filled with less sleep than he had since forever. But he did not feel all that bad. If anything, it was almost like he could go several nights without sleep before he'd collapse. As long as his mind and body weren't dead-tired or severely wounded that is. That aside, Hakon felt great.

Only a few nights had passed since the Rite and he was already close to the 1st Ascension. That was phenomenal. Continuing to grow like that would ensure he'd perform exceptionally in the Battle of Generation. That made him wonder how the others were doing. Björn and Astrid, but also Ulfar and the Bloodbearers. Astrid might be close to her 1st Ascension. The rest… Hakon doubted it. The 1st Ascension was the easiest to reach, yet it took most warriors a fortnight to reach.

The average warriors might actually take a little longer. We only had half a fortnight between the Rite and the Battle of Generation. It was a feat to reach the 1st Ascension in that time. Something only the strongest Barbarians could do. Even then, it was hard. After all, not every power was as easy to wield as Enhanced Comprehension had been. But our generation is nothing like those before us. The current generation was strong.

Some of it was owed to the cycles the young warriors spent training, waiting for the Rite. They had been ready for cycles, only to wait and train… and fight among each other. Rivalry was yet another reason Tribe Taskur's youngest generation was greater than others. Still, Bloodbearer needed time to get used to their Ancient Power. To tame their Bloodline as it merged with their Ancient Power. The stronger the Blood they awakened, the harder it would be to control – to tame. Ulfar was a prime example.

He was bound to have the most difficulties managing his power. Behemoth Blood. As mighty as it was, it was ferocious. But as soon as he subdued the beast within him, Ulfar would be the strongest. And, knowing him, Hakon was sure Ulfar would tame his Bloodline before the Battle of Generation. There was no doubt about it. The only question was how long Ulfar would take. The longer taking full rein of his Bloodline took, the fewer Levels and Skills he'd earn. He won't reach the 1st Ascension.

That was something Hakon was sure of. Even if Ulfar would be getting close to the 1st Ascension, Ulfar's father would stop him. Not because he wanted his son to lose but because the 1st Ascension would strengthen Ulfar's Behemoth Blood once more. Ancient Powers grew stronger through the Ascension. For Bloodbearers that was as precious as it was dangerous. Failure to remain in charge of their Bloodline would result in death. Precisely, a loss of control, the birth of a monster, and a merciful end by decapitation.

Losing control was not something Hakon had to fear. If anything, he looked forward to Enhanced Comprehension's growth. It excited him for he needed as much power as possible to deal with his enemies. For every Level Ulfar earned, he'd be twice as strong as others. In terms of physical strength, Hakon stood no chance. He had too much of a head-start, his physical prowess likely surpassing those of regular non-combatant Barbarians at Level 10, possibly even 15 depending on the Behenmoth Blood's potency…

all while he was Level 1. The other Bloodbearers would be less of an issue. Hakon was confident in his strength. As long as he reached the 1st Ascension and learned how to properly wield [Circulation], he'd be strong enough to face the Giant Blood warriors head-on. Ulfar was experienced, and so were the others, but there was a drastic difference. Hakon had always been stronger than all of them. Ulfar had been the closest, and he'd beat Hakon a few times as well. The others: Never. He knew them all.

The strength of every single one of them. Their prowess with every weapon and their antics. Hakon had sparred with all of them dozens of times. So even if they improved their Skills by a few Levels, would that and a few new Skills really be enough to change the hierarchy they had established many cycles ago? Hakon did not think so. But even if it did make a change, he still had three nights before he had to be back. [Proficiency gained. [Running Lv. 6] improved to [Running Lv. 7]] He smiled at the message.

Even deep in thought, Enhanced Comprehension was at work. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Discarding doubts and plans, Hakon followed his gut feeling. He continued to run around, his posture adapting accordingly. The Crawling Expanse was massive. It extended much farther than the eye could see, yet he didn't find any more Giant Ants or Acidic Beetles. Instead, he found a few other monsters.

A bunch of eagles that attacked him the moment they sighted him and other monsters that seemed as mindless as the birds. They attacked and suffered the consequences, Hakon's blades drinking in their blood. Compared to the Giant Ants and Acidic Beetles, these other monsters were odd. They were not much stronger. If anything, they were only a little faster and equipped with razor-sharp talons and claws. As dangerous as they would have been outside the Fracture, inside here they were among the weaker monsters.

[Evasion] and [Combat Awareness] was all Hakon needed to avoid their initial strike before a blade would weave its way to the monster's heart or neck. Some were beheaded, others were simply stabbed to death. They died anyway, [Weakness Detection] working excellently on those with weaker defenses. Overextending on his Skills ought to have pushed them to the next Level. Alas, it didn't.

"Sensing mana in combat does not work." Hakon noted, wiping the blood splatters from his cheek.

"Or maybe it is possible, and I am just too insensitive to it." He tilted his head to the side and activated [Circulation] once more. For a handful of moments only. Doing so allowed him to feel the mana around him without burning too much mana. But as soon as [Circulation]'s effect ended, his senses toned down. It was almost like his senses were like a dull blade when [Circulation] wasn't active. That resembled [Combat Awareness]'s effect, only that different senses were enhanced by the respective Skills.

Hakon did not return to running right away. He bent down and studied the monster carcasses instead. As useless as it may look at first glance, Hakon felt that it was the right thing. He needed to know more, nurture his mind, train it, to make use of The Mind. The Ancestors gave him this power for a reason. They knew that The Mind was the right power for him. That he and Enhanced Comprehension were made for each other. So he studied the corpses. First from outside.

Then he used [Dismantling] to remove all the parts that could be turned into weapons. Hakon used [Field Crafting] and carved a tiny scratch in the talons, claws, and other parts, hoping the Ancestors would understand him. He wanted to keep the body parts and maybe use them later. He then moved them into a fur bag, which he made with some wolf fur. It was not the best, and it would stink unbearably in a few days, but it would do for a bit. It would last until he was back in the tribe, which was more than enough.

[Field Crafting] and [Dismantling] improved twice as he worked on the bodies and crafted a makeshift bag. While not crucial for combat, the extra Levels would make work easier in the future. He used [Circulation] several times whenever he was done with a carcass and waited until he felt the mana all around him before releasing the Skill. It was a waste of time and precious mana. Mana that could have been used to practice [Dash] or other tests, and Hakon slowly lost confidence in himself when he realized something.

The first time he used [Circulation] for a few moments, he sensed the surrounding mana for four moments. The next few times were all the same. However, by the time he used it ten times, the mana around him remained for five moments. It lasted longer… or he got used to sensing it. Learned how the mana outside him was supposed to feel like.

"I thought it would feel the same, but it's different. So different." Hakon rubbed his chin, discarding all other thoughts to zone in on his newest findings. The mana that entered his body was different from the rest. No! It was not the mana that entered his body, but the mana that was already inside him. The mana he could freely control was unlike the mana around him. It was a simple realization, yet it had taken him a while to fully understand it.

The difference of mana reminded him of the flood of mana he received with every Level. Taking full reins of the mana had been difficult. It was almost like the flood's mana did not belong to him. It had been inside him, yet it had not been his yet. The more he thought about the mana flood, the more he compared it with the mana around him. Hakon had to use [Circulation] another dozen times, burning through his reserves, to preserve the sensation for eight seconds.

He stopped searching for his mana and tuned his senses slowly to the mana around him. By the time Hakon adjusted both mind and body enough to sense mana for ten seconds after activating [Circulation], something shifted. It was almost like his body accepted the change his mind had undergone. The mind adapted – it comprehended a lingering trace – and his body molded and took upon a form that accommodated the change.

Last but not least, he sensed a minute amount of mana as it brushed across his skin, without [Circulation] enhancing his perception. [Skill [Mana Sense] has been learned.] Hakon leaped to his feet, fist pumping into the air. Overwhelmed by euphoria and anticipation, he roared aloud. Now that he'd acquired [Mana Sense], it was only a matter of time before he could sense all the mana around him. That left him with two important tasks.

First, he had to figure out how to use [Mana Sense] to improve [Circulation]'s efficiency to replenish more mana than the Skill used. Doing so would help him find out his upgraded Skill's limit. Second, he could use [Mana Sense] to project his own mana outside his body. To use mana to strengthen his weapons like it strenghtened his body via [Circulation]. Hakon had no idea how to do that, but he was sure it was possible. It had to be. Somehow. Then there were his Deeds.

Hakon forgot to claim them in all the trouble he'd gone through.