Chapter 746: Connection to the sky
Kyle just tilted his head at the man floating before him, with a face that said he was not the one who had caused pain to him.
"Try to create a teleportation portal. You need to feed it energy. Any type is fine."
Sinon scoffed but did as he was told. The moment he channeled his spiritual energy into the golden mark on his wrist, a few symbols illuminated in the air, and with a fast speed that he could barely perceive, they converged to form a tear in space. Kyle's voice echoed beside him.
"Merge it with the coordinates of the place you want to go. That's something you need to do yourself."
Sinon immediately thought of a place he wanted to go, and the moment he drew the coordinates in the air, they automatically merged with the torn space before him, forming a dark, round portal.
His eyes widened excitedly as he stared at the stable portal in front of him. The recent grievance he had with Kyle faded from his mind as he watched the portal.
It was completely stable, and thinking about how he had crafted it in just a little over two seconds made him smirk widely.
"You could do something so amazing for everyone, but you have to hide it, huh?"
With that, he quickly entered the portal without hesitation. Kyle stared at his fading figure. He had seen the coordinates Sinon had drawn, so he already knew that Sinon went to meet with Odiak.
"He could have just flown to his residence. With his wings and agility, it would have been faster than creating the portal."
Kyle shook his head as he turned back, and in the next moment, he stood before Sinon, who had just emerged from the other side of the portal. Sinon nearly choked on his breath when he saw the familiar face, who hadn't even bothered to use the portal and had directly teleported to his location.
"Damn, it must be nice to have such a convenient and powerful skill."
Sinon's smile didn't fade as he clicked his tongue. Sometimes, he wondered if they had really gotten so strong? They had barely left their twenties, yet they had come so far-farther than he could have ever imagined.
But he knew, he knew it was all because of the dark-haired man before him. Kyle, this anomaly, had reached a place that Sinon or anyone else could never attain.
He stared at Kyle as the latter quietly surveyed the bright corridor of the building they had just arrived at, trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings.
"People spent so many years just to step into the divine rank, yet..."
He muttered but swallowed his next words. Who would believe that they were already among the strongest in the universe?
But it was the truth.
It almost... it's almost as if they were chosen by the nature, destined to fight against the darkness. But aren't the chosen ones always the ones who suffer?
Sinon scratched his head; he was lost in thoughts again. Odiak's voice echoed from the room at the end of the corridor.
"Come here. Don't just stand outside."
He looked up, only to see that Kyle had already opened the door to Odiak's room and stepped inside.
With a sigh, he followed behind. The moment he entered, he was greeted by a familiar, massive yet chaotic room filled with a jumble of metals, crafting tools, and papers containing strange designs that he couldn't comprehend at all.
Sinon retrieved the hammer Odiak had given him from his mind space and placed it on the floor, staring resentfully at the old dwarf seated at the table in the distance, as if the latter had wasted half of his life.
"I wasn't able to break a piece of the platform you asked me to. That means you won't teach me... but I really want to craft artifacts and weapons."
Odiak stopped cutting the small square crystalline metal in his hand, and glanced at the demi-human.
"Have you already given up? You know that to craft weapons and artifacts, knowledge is not the only thing one needs; you also need determination-the will to stand in one place for days, months, or even years, just to create a single artifact or weapon."
He pulled down his sleeves. He had lived for too long, and his knowledge was vast in this field, so he was confident he could tell with a glance if the person before him could become a master in crafting.
"It's not that I don't want to teach you. It's just that it would only waste your time if, after all your hard work, the only thing you can create is ordinary weapons."
Sinon nodded. He wasn't offended. He admired how the old dwarf crafted so many powerful weapons and artifacts capable of wreaking havoc. But he understood that his admiration wouldn't last for long; patience was never his strong suit.
"I will just focus on increasing my physical strength for now while searching for what I can do best. To be honest, I feel I shouldn't concentrate on learning something meant for the people of the land..."
He paused and softly moved his wings.
"Is there nothing special that can connect people more to the skies?"
Hearing his words, both Odiak and Kyle were taken aback. Something that can connect someone to the skies? What an odd phrase, yet also remarkable.
Kyle, who had remained silent all this time, allowing the two to converse, murmured.
"And to think when we first met you were scared of heights... or should I say flying."
Sinon froze for a moment, the meaning behind Kyle's words sinking in. He snapped his head toward him with wide eyes.
"You... you remember?"
His question came out uncertain. After learning that Kyle had lost his memories of the past, he felt a pang of sadness that he had forgotten how they became friends. But with what the
latter just said...
Kyle scanned the wide eyes staring at him and sensed the excitement within them. So, he didn't lie. Well, there was no need to lie.
"I did, almost everything."
Sinon jumped toward him with a grin, likely aiming for a hug, but before he could reach him, a dark portal lit up beneath him and engulfed his body. The last thing that rang out in the room
was his sharp curse.
"Kyle, you bastard!"
Odiak suppressed his laughter. Just a hug, and he could see Kyle's discomfort from his expression alone. The kid truly didn't like it when things became too sentimental.
Kyle turned to leave as well, only to be stopped by the old dwarf's deep voice.
"Do you want to learn the art of crafting?"
He turned back, his green eyes flickering in contemplation. But considering how much his body despised heat, he knew he couldn't do it, even if he found crafting interesting. He could never endure standing in front of intense heat just to hammer metal to craft a weapon when he could easily obtain weapons from other sources.
"It's easy, but not something I would pursue. I'm not a patient person either."
His gaze scanned the scattered papers in the room before pausing for a while on the square crystalline metal that the dwarf had been working with earlier.
"But the explosive artifact you're crafting is truly interesting. I trust you won't mind if I
replicate the design later on."
With that, he disappeared, leaving the old dwarf bewildered, staring into empty space. Odiak blinked once, twice, and finally broke out into a cold sweat.
"Easy...???"
The words escaped his lips as he slumped down in his chair and stared at the device he had
been working on for two weeks.
"Did he just understand what I am making just by looking at it for a while?"
After the initial shock, a hearty laugh escaped his lips. His hands trembled, and he genuinely
wanted to go and grab that kid right now and teach him his art because he felt that if Kyle ever took up crafting, he would become the best in no time. But he wouldn't force him, knowing the youth would likely run away, and he didn't even have the confidence that he can catch him.
'Now I understand why he can grasp such powerful natural laws already, even before reaching the supreme rank.'
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
'His comprehension abilities are truly frightening. I heard Azazeal had similar traits... it's because they possess something alike in their bodies, right? I knew, but it's still hard to
believe.'
He closed his eyes, and the word 'Celestial' echoed in his mind pleasantly. He had lived for over a thousand years-so long that he could no longer count his age or recall where his journey began. Yet, he was still so far from that word.
A low chuckle escaped his lips.
"I am not greedy. I am content to be just an immortal who is the most knowledgeable
craftsman in this universe."
A deep and hoarse voice echoed behind him as James stepped out of thin air.
"I know, that's why I shared it with you."
Odiak's eyes lit up as he turned his gaze toward him. The old man stood up and took in the sight of the pale, tall figure standing behind him before checking his body.
"Why did you leave your room? Let me examine your body. You just recovered from those terrible injuries; you should rest and not do anything excessive. You know your soul can't handle this much strain."
James didn't stop Odiak as the latter examined him from head to toe. There was still a sharp pain running throughout his entire body because it had been completely battered in the last battle he fought, but he didn't create a new one for his soul.
Instead, he healed himself with treasures and divine essence, as forming a new body would take at least a month time. Not to mention, his physical strength would be somewhat diminished.
"I am fine. I sensed Kyle, and I am sure he sensed me too. So, he is finally here after all the
chaos he caused?"
He took Odiak's seat with a sigh.
"Knowing that there's no way I can rest easy, he is too unpredictable. I don't want to be absent if he ends up attracting even more danger in this perilous place."
The old dwarf scoffed at him.
"As if you weren't the same in the past. You even wanted to go find Azazeal, who never
revealed himself, while his minions created chaos in his absence, and confront him... it's fortunate you got beaten up midway on your journey and returned."
James's expression soured a bit as he recalled the past and how childish they were; he could
only smile dryly.