Chương 140: Chapter 145: To die for

I had to walk, in the marsh, like a common peasant. The thought came to me unbidden, when did I start to see walking around as degrading? Well, walking in this terrain was disgusting as hell, but I was more jumping around than really walking. I was getting the hang of it, having somewhat balanced stats would make anyone dexterous enough to navigate any terrain, and mine were ridiculously high, but I was certain of one thing, I was using them terribly.

Vix had already shown me what someone with true mastery could achieve, he defeated me with a fourth of my attributes and without using his skills, or aura, just using his body, and he was toying with me… I sighed, I would have time to master myself, but first of all, I'd have to rein in my aura, it was large now, probably thirty feet in range, and expanding…

I was trying to compress it again, to bring it under my control and manifest it, but instead of getting easier to take hold of, it was becoming stronger and more chaotic, maybe if I removed the curses that were empowering it, it would be easier to- Wait a moment, where the hell were the curses? I couldn't feel them anymore, did they get shredded when the aura went chaotic? Or did they get absorbed in some way? Were they the reason my aura was so unstable right now?

Fucking hell, nothing I could do at the moment, I tried something as I used another rotten tree half submerged in the water as a stepping platform. My overcoat trailed after me, leaving a trail of ashes, I would have to remember that if I was ever escaping from something, it was quite easy to follow.

I was still trying to understand how all these magic energies, items, curses, and effects worked, it was just magic to me for now, but I was more of a science guy, it should have an explanation, rules, laws, and formulas. I didn't believe that just magic existed and that was it.

Especially because of the System, if someone created that, it meant that it was possible to understand all of this, in the thousands if not millions of years these alien civilizations had existed they should have discovered and tested how things worked, right? I finally reached the place where the snake jumped at me, the crater it left on the ground where it landed and the one it left when it jumped were difficult landmarks to miss, despite the water filling some of them in.

From there I just followed the trail the snake left until I reached a hill, or something similar, it was artificially made, the mud and rocks and trees composing it were arranged around a gigantic hole that went down into the darkness.

There was something going on though, actually there was a lot going on, a battle to be precise, lizard-men, those naga-like monsters, the vashka, were there too, alongside giant water-spewing crocs, and half a dozen more reptilian creatures, both monstrous and humanoid-like, all fighting amongst themselves for some reason. Probably for whatever treasure was inside that nest. Now that I saw all of this fighting and killing, I wanted it even more.

In my vision all occurred in slow motion, these monsters were strong, and knew how to fight, I looked at a vashka warrior fighting with twin blades against a lightning-fast snake who was extremely resistant to both, the two foes exchanged blows that left trails of sparks as blades met scales, flitting around each other in a sinuous, deadly dance. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

The display drove home my inadequacy again, I couldn't move like that, not at all, despite my superior stats. I was faster yes, but that didn't mean I could fight with that kind of proficiency. Luckily for me, I wasn't a physical warrior. And I won't let these thieves get what's due to me. I stepped forward, at the edge of combat, and instead of trying to rein in my aura I willed it to explode from me, broadcasting to all present who they were trying to steal from.

The effect was immediate, all the fighting stopped as my aura reached most of them. They turned to me, bleeding, breathing hard, and spooked to death by the look in their wide eyes, their reptilian pupils so dilated they looked nearly normal.

"Leave, I'm tired of fighting for the day, gods know I'd have to do enough of that to return back, so be gone, or I'll end you." A group of big, two-headed snakes turned tail and fled, while the others instead prepared, tightening their hold on their weapons, fixing their stances, baring their fangs… Really? Maybe having two brains was actually useful, because every monster with just one head in front of me wasn't understanding the situation they were in.

"I killed the Venomfall Serpent, if you were scared of it before you should be even more scared of me… ah what am I even doing? You are too dumb to get it." They looked at each other, a silent message seemed to pass between them, apparently I managed to make them abandon their rivalry to unite against a common foe. One big and fat lizard bounded forward, launching itself at me, it seemed a signal as every other monster in front of me surged with it, weapons, claws, and fangs bared.

I waited, looking at this monochromatic moment as all these beings started emitting bright lights of energy from limbs or implements. I waited until most of them were moving inside my aura, which expanded further, then I manifested it physically. A roaring sound erupted with myself at the center, the aura now taking on physical form was a sea of currents and waves, churning and smashing and shredding all who came inside it.

Only the most resistant creatures didn't get shredded instantly, instead suffering heavy injuries and getting thrown away. I was totally unable to control the aura, but it was a storm I could use against my enemies, enemies that had been decimated in an instant, a flood of killing notifications rang in my head as I moved forward, deactivating my manifestation.

I stepped forward, my speed too much for these beings, reaching a downed croc I stomped on its head, pulping it, before grabbing its tail and swinging it around to maul two more lizard-men who thought it wise to flank me. One thing I noticed during my swing, despite the croc being not that much bigger than me, it weighed much more than was normal, and I didn't. That created the need for me to counterbalance, despite my incredible strength, I couldn't yet defy the laws of physics. Annoying.

I infused my will into my mana, then created an Entropic Lance, just that it wasn't a lance, it was a kind of long sword with a very thick and large blade. I infused further to stabilize it, then I began swinging. The weapon was light as air, but there was a kind of drag as the energy blade in my hand felt like it had a kind of weight to it anyway.

It wasn't going to make this any less easy, I used the function of my boots to anchor me in time as I step-jumped from enemy to enemy, cleaving them in two, the blade was passing through them with minimal resistance, I wasn't even applying that much force to my swings, it was all the skill, well, and my stats. The thing in my hand contained a ton of mana right now, chaotic and wanting to just explode, but the infusion and my control kept it contained.

Compared to the first attempt I made at modifying the skill, this was a great step forward, I wondered if I could manage to make this skill more versatile, I liked the lance, it was a big, powerful weapon, especially because it flew with incredible speed and penetrating power, but if I could make any kind of weapon, it would become even better, or maybe I should just specialize in one and focus on that… thoughts for later.

My work was done, just corpses remained around me, and the faint rippling of the disturbed water. Finally. It was time to see what was so precious to these monsters that they were willing to die for.