Chương 39: Chapter 35

He couldn't do it. Enhanced Comprehension tried to guide Hakon down the wrong path, but no matter how much he followed the prodding, it didn't work. With the combination of [Mana Sense], [Sensory Expansion], and [Flow Observation], it was possible to perceive and study Astrid's movements when she used her Power-based Skills, but replicating them was a problem. Deactivating the Skill combination as he completed his analysis of Astrid's movements, Hakon tried to copy her using mana.

But mana alone was clearly not enough. Or, if it was, he had to use it differently to create a Skill resembling [River of Blood]. Nothing came to be no matter how hard Hakon tried, which was a first. Ever since the Rite, everything had worked out somehow. Enhanced Comprehension made sure to point out that he did something wrong, and he adjusted his movements and mana flow until whatever he was doing felt less wrong. Now, however, everything felt wrong, and the prodding thundered louder in his head than ever.

It didn't fade away or diminish in any way until he stopped trying to replicate Astrid either, leaving him at a loss. Nothing came to be, except for [Natural Regeneration] levelling up once. His other Skills were slowly improving as well, but the Ancestors did not deem them valuable enough to increase the Skill Level. That was fine, although Hakon found himself grumbling, seeking the gratification rewarded by the Ancient Scripture changes and the Ancestors' attention. What if I do it this way?

Copying Astrid's Skills won't work. I don't have Blood Fury, so I cannot recreate the Skill perfectly. Replicating, however… That should be possible, but it means I need to find ways to use mana to replace her energy, to do the same she does. Coating his weapon's edge with mana was the least of his problems. [Mana Infusion] didn't help much, but Hakon still had [Mana Manipulation], which felt like it was the perfect Skill to make it work.

[Mana Manipulation] enhanced Hakon's control of mana, yet that was only part of the Skill's functions. It also allowed him to change mana's characteristics, such as its color. Altering mana was difficult and mentally draining; however, it was a necessity. Furthermore, altering mana accelerated the Skill's growth, even if the Ancestors didn't reward Hakon with many level-ups for it. Some Skills were just harder to level than others, and that was fine.

"Fight me, Hakon!!" Björn grunted and cursed beside him.

"Since when are you this boring?! Sitting around all day, doing nothing? Fight me!"

"You can leave if you're bored." Astrid dismissed him with a wave.

"Hakon." He grumbled, acting like Astrid didn't exist.

"Fight me!" Hakon wanted to continue practicing, but he was also starting to get frustrated. Failing to create a weaker version of [River of Blood] was starting to get to him. It made his fingers itch, urging him to de-stress in the best way known to Barbarians.

"Okay." He walked over to the weapon stand and picked a simple longsword before stepping into the ring.

"But you better show me some of your Skills. If you don't, bones will be broken." Björn exclaimed excitedly and rushed to the weapon stand to retrieve a set of axes. He could have waited for a moment, yet he didn't, as he rushed straight at Hakon. The ground beneath him crackled, and his hair seemed to grow thicker the moment he barreled forward. [Crushing Advance], huh. Hakon mused as he stepped aside. The first time Björn used the Skill, its greatest weakness had already been exposed.

It was so obvious that it was almost embarrassing. Almost. [Crushing Advance] was a fast Power-based Skill. Björn accelerated to top speed before he reached his target, and he would have crushed it if nothing went wrong. The impact would shatter bones and break even the greatest natural defenses. It would work against most monsters and Barbarians who hadn't experienced his Skill.

Maybe it would work against them even if they had seen the Skill already, yet it was foolish to use against someone who didn't shy away from evading his opponent. Hakon identified the Skill immediately. That, combined with knowing what the Skill did and how it forced Björn to move, led him to pick the easiest solution and step aside. Björn barrelled past him, his axes swinging outward, missing him by a hair's breadth. Then, more instinctive than anything, Hakon tried to recreate the Skill.

He did something else this time around rather than repeating the same he attempted with [River of Blood]. He used [Circulation] first to empower his entire body. Once reinforced, Hakon pumped mana into his lower legs and unleashed [Dash] at full power. Björn was already past him, struggling to slow down as he cancelled [Crushing Advance]. Catching up to the Blessed warrior, Hakon did not slash at his friend but crashed right into him.

And as he crashed into Björn like a fully charged Behemoth, Hakon poured mana into [Discharge]. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As expensive as the Skill was, it was powerful. And painful. Mana burst through the pathways a little more sluggishly than Hakon had hoped for. Nevertheless, it did what it was supposed to do and shot outward and straight into Björn.

While it was hard to tell what exactly happened to the Blessed warrior, his body went stiff and froze up for a moment. Only then did the full force of the impact hit Björn, pushing him backward. Not enough. I could have forced him to the ground if the impact was– Hakon shook his head, his blade pressed against Björn's neck. The Blessed warrior regained full control of his body after a moment, but he did not move. He stared at Hakon with wide eyes.

"Did you just steal [Crushing Advance]?"

"No." Hakon shook his head. As similar as the sequence of events had been, [Crushing Advance] was not something he could take. It was a Power-based Skill and therefore not an option. What he could do, though, was use his existing Skills to recreate the effect [Crushing Advance] created. The only downside? It was expensive. While Björn could not have used more than a small portion of his energy, Hakon's reserves were drained by no less than one-third.

[Discharge] was, by far, the most demanding, but it was also the only Skill that could replicate the destructive power Björn created upon impact. It wasn't the same even then; however, it was something. And Hakon liked the effect quite a bit.

"I need to try this again. Get up and don't move." He motioned for his friend to get up. Björn groaned as he scrambled to his feet, rubbing his chest where [Discharge] hit him.

"That was not what I meant when I said I want to fight you."

"Snap out of it and stay still." Astrid chided him.

"Hakon is about to learn a new Skill, aren't you?" The last bit was directed at Hakon, who could only shrug. There was a lot left to learn, yet Enhanced Comprehension seemed to agree with Astrid's comment. Now it was on the Ancestors to decide whether he had earned the right to learn a new Skill or not. I need to use less mana. Control it more precisely. Use it more efficiently. He told himself before charging at Björn again… and again.

[Dash] had to be used as a base, to a certain extent. But instead of using the Skill at its highest level, or even at its lowest, less mana was used, with a lesser focus on speed and a greater focus on the lower body's toughness and stability. Figuring out how to do that had been a rather troublesome ordeal, one that only succeeded through pain and dozens of charges at Björn. Enhanced Comprehension helped a lot, but the far more potent solution had been Hakon's instincts.

Even if he was not born with the Bloodline, Blood of Zeldron, he was still a Barbarian. He had the Barbarian Physique and could rely on it as well. It may not have been the first time Hakon felt what it meant to be a Barbarian, yet it was the most intense since he could remember. His mana control was not all that great even after all his practice, and it didn't need to be any better to work with his body. For his body did a colossal amount of the work.

His lower body reinforced, he crashed into the target, mana bursting outward. While it was not nearly as much as [Discharge] demanded, the amount was still considerable, and too much to satisfy Hakon. That was yet another issue he had to work on in the future. Mana burst outward and into the target's muscles. Not the pathways, which was what [Discharge] focused on, but their bulging muscles, making them stiff and stunning the target temporarily.

The extent of the stunning effect depended heavily on the target, their Level and their general toughness. A few more unknowns had yet to be identified, but it was more effective on Astrid than Björn, although the effect faded faster on Astrid than on the Blessed warrior. It worked more or less fine, which was not enough considering the effect was less pronounced on stronger opponents. That only meant Hakon had to improve the Skill to make it more efficient and expand its repertoire of functions.

[Skill [Bash] has been learned.] … [Proficiency gained. [Bash Lv. 3] improved to [Bash Lv. 4]] [Proficiency gained. [Teaching Lv. 5] improved to [Teaching Lv. 6]] [Proficiency gained. [Teaching Lv. 6] improved to [Teaching Lv. 7]] [Bash] was nowhere near as powerful as [Crushing Advance], and it consumed more energy than Björn's Skill as well, but it was something everyone could learn. It improved fast enough to enhance the Skill's effect and efficiency considerably as well, transforming it into a powerful weapon.

As long as it was nourished, [Bash] could become truly terrifying. Regarding [Teaching], Hakon was satisfied as well. He didn't expect that to happen, but Björn learned a lot from the dozens of times Hakon charged the Blessed warrior, allowing him to learn and improve [Bash] as well. That only left Astrid, who hadn't gained anything from training together. She didn't seem all that bothered, but Hakon promised to teach her [Flow Control] and [Dash].

"[Bash] as well." She demanded with a mischievous smile.

"Of course."

"And you need to come to the training ground tomorrow," Astrid said, and before Hakon could respond, she added, "The others are waiting for you. They're ready to challenge you." She threw him a knowing look. The other warriors were waiting for him to fail. They may have acknowledged him and might even respect him; nonetheless, they planned to surpass him. To crush him and show everyone that their loss had been a stroke of misfortune.

So Hakon had to show them and make sure they understood that he was their leader now. The head of the new generation. He licked his lips, more than ready to bash a few heads.