It was all Sylas could feel around him. Every time he picked out a new Will in the distance, warning signs would blare in his mind, far sharper and clearer than ever before.
It wasn't just that the warnings were more sensitive, but they also gave him more information than he was used to. It was like he couldn't just feel the danger, but he could feel the levels to them, and also what sort of danger it was.
There was no doubt that this was related to the elevation of his Luck.
When he first got his Luck, he had felt a premonition of sorts related to Casstle Main. It made him hurry back.
But since that point, he hadn't had a feeling that was similar to it.
Now, however, he felt like he understood…
'How strong the premonition is should depend on the average Luck around me… back then, my Luck was superior to the majority of people, so I could feel things they couldn't, like the Mesh of Reality was favoring me in ways that it didn't.
'However, when my Luck is diminished compared to the average around me, or especially if the target my Luck needs to work on is far superior, I sense very little or nothing at all…'
Back then, Sylas had gotten a huge boost to his Luck just three months into the Summoning. Even with her necklace, his Luck was still superior to Cassarae's own.
Things changed substantially after that, and though his Luck was still able to give him something as useful as visualization of the world around him, it was lacking in other aspects and often stopped working entirely at key moments.
Now, things had reversed.
Sylas settled into this understanding and then slowly shook his head.
He knew that right now, this Quest would be a matter of speed. There was no real objective yet, but he assumed that there would be some soon. Before those Quest Legs started, the number one objective was to improve as fast as possible.
The problem was… he didn't scan a single beast in the surrounding two kilometers that he could defeat with ease.
—
[Unlock Profession Vipermancer?]
[>5 000 000 Silver Genes]
—
[Unlock Profession Runeweaver?]
[>5 000 000 Silver Genes]
—
Sylas shook his head, but then his gaze flickered as he thought of something.
'Yes, that's a possibility, too. In that case…'
Sylas' head turned toward a certain direction. The best target for him was in that direction.
…
—
[Silver Earth Worm (F-)]
[Level: 1]
[Physical: 0.318]
[Mental: 0.103]
[Will: 0.203]
—
Sylas' visualization locked onto the creature from a far-off distance. It was odd looking at stats with decimal points, but what was clear was that this creature was a tank.
Its Constitution was incredibly high, somehow matching the thick, squishy exterior of usual earthworms with shingle-like ice constructs over its body that matched its flexibility with a not-so-subtle hardness.
The creature was shaped almost thicker than it was large. It was only three meters long, but when it opened its circular maw, lined with rows of teeth, it was almost two meters wide.
And then it would bury itself in snow, disappearing for moments at a time without a single shift, only to swallow up large beasts in its wake.
"… F-?"
Sylas' eyes narrowed.
This was the weakest creature he had found, but it was still such a monster. He wasn't even sure if his attack strength could make it through, not when he didn't have access to Skills.
But… there was no time to waste.
Sylas took a step and then shot forward. He glided across the surface of the Earth, the Runes of the world slowly bending to his Will.
'This… is what it should feel like to be Spark Master.'
Sylas' eyes sharpened in an instant.
[Unbridled Counter].
How could the system take away a Skill he had formed, comprehended, and unlocked all on his own without its support?
The Silver Earth Worm was caught off guard. It sensed Sylas' approach, its body incredibly sensitive to the shifts in the snow. That was why it was able to creep up on its targets to begin with.
But when it was ready to counter, it felt its Aether practically shut down in its body.
—
[First Skill Caster Unlocked]
-
[10 Silver Genes Rewarded]
—
[Quest Leaderboard]
[1. Sylas Grimblade - 10]
[2. —]
…
—
[This Leaderboard is Hidden until a participant earns a placement on it]
[Minimum placement requirement: 1 Silver Gene]
—
Sylas' eyes glowed.
This… he was not expecting.
But what man would look a gift horse in the mouth?
With the slightest shift to his intention, he unlocked Junior Primate, Aetherflow, and Blade Aura all at once. Then, with Junior Primate released from its hold, his Class Skills were unlocked along with it. He didn't hesitate to unlock [Berserk], [Primate Swipe], and [Swinging Gait].
Even after all of this, he had only used up a little over two Silver Genes, but his Contribution still showed 10.
He closed the distance on the confused Silver Earth Worm, his hands extending in a clawing form.
—
[First Class Unlocked]
-
[100 Silver Genes Rewarded]
—
[First Gene Skill Unlocked]
-
[50 Silver Genes Rewarded]
—
Sylas immediately unlocked Madness.
—
[First Comprehension Unlocked]
-
[100 Silver Genes Rewarded]
—
[Berserk (F+) (Skill)] (Fragmented Mastery)
[Your fury increases your power. Exchange your rationality for power]
[+0.01 Physical for every 0.001 Will]
[Duration: 1 second per 0.001 Will]
—
[Primate Swipe (F+) (Skill)] (Fragmented Mastery)
[Extend claws from your hands and increase Effectiveness of Strength]
[+5% Strength]
—
Sylas activated Madness, his telekinesis grabbing hold of the Silver Earth Worm.
Primate Swipe activated and his claws extended from his hands. From just a sharp tip hanging over the softness of his fingertips, they extended to almost three inches long.
The Silver Earth Worm squealed, its body flailing.
But then there was a flash in Sylas' eyes and powerful momentum sent it falling down even faster than it rose into the skies.
Sylas' arm bulged, his arm swiping up with all his might as he triggered [Berserk]. In the blink of an eye, his Physical stats shot up by a full 0.3.
His arm shot through the bottom of the Silver Earth Worm's head, squelching through the soft flesh, through its tongue, and out the top of its head.
Violet blood spurted into the surroundings and Sylas calmly shook his arm.
The creature plopped to the ground.
—
[First Kill Unlocked]
-
[100 Silver Genes Rewarded]