Sylas watched Gralith disappear but didn't say much.
Beast Warlord Sanctum… should he go? Or should he not?
Honestly, he wasn't sure. He still had no idea how they related to the matters of Earth. If the Scorpion wasn't one of the Seven Scorned Beasts of Madness, then the odds that they were related to the traitors of Earth were very high.
Sylas knew that every time he gave Gralith another piece of information about himself, it was another risk, another bit of danger. But so often until now… he had had no choice.
In the end, he pressed this matter down to the back of his thoughts and focused on what was before him.
'Indeed, I was correct… At Vitality Mastery, there's a leap from +6000 to +10,000. Unfortunately, because the second layer is only at Soul Mastery, it plummeted back down to +3000. And because the third layer is only at Flesh Mastery, it plummeted down again to just +2000 Physical.'
Although this sounded bad, Sylas had yet to incorporate the boosts. Having the second layer active made his +2000 into a +4000 once more. And with the third layer activated, it raised it once more to +20,000 Physical.
By the adjusted stats of this Quest world, or maybe Skai Galaxy—Sylas wasn't sure just yet—this meant that he would gain +20 to all of his Physical stats.
'Not quite… as expected, the second layer provided double. So the addition to my Constitution is actually +40 when the armors are activated… and…'
The reason one would sacrifice the Mastery of the first layer for the sake of the second and third was because of the new abilities you gain. Not only would he have the additional defense from the second layer, he would be able to sacrifice large pieces of his armor so that attacks didn't impact him.
This didn't sound like a great ability, but imagine if in the middle of a battle an opponent launches a blow they assume will make you at least take a step back, ready to make a counterattack to gain an advantage. And then this blow loses all of its momentum.
It would be akin to walking right through a punch as though it wasn't even there in the first place.
A lot of people might want to use sacrificial methods of combat, but if you were constantly taking attacks, when could you counter? The abilities of the second layer allowed that.
Plus, there was [Earth Escape] as well. That sort of wrinkle you could use mid-battle would be groundbreaking if it was used correctly.
As for why Gralith had had such a fierce reaction… Sylas didn't think about it—or, rather, he was smart enough to know that he shouldn't think about it.
Whatever this was could only be a great taboo of the Beast Warlord Sanctum.
There was a bit of an itch at the back of his mind, some swirling thoughts that made him realize that if he chose to think about this matter any further… there wouldn't be a choice in whether he went to the Beast Warlord Sanctum or not.
He would have to.
But something also told him that eventually, he wouldn't be able to stop that unbearable itch at the back of his mind. He would feel the need to scratch it.
Even now, he had thought of so many ideas related to it that it was almost unbearable.
And then he suddenly calmed.
'I'll consider this again after I perfect all three layers to Spark Mastery. Whether I can even execute any of these thoughts will be dependent on that… and just what that Rune at the end was.'
Others might not understand what that Rune was, but how could Sylas not?
It wasn't just any Rune, it was a Unique Gene.
A Unique Gene tied to the Scorpion Warlord Inheritance.
Knowing this, Sylas also knew that his thoughts about whether to go to the Beast Warlord Sanctum or not were useless.
This was the first time, the very first time, that he had found a method to directly tie his Rune Mastery talent to tangible changes to his foundation.
Here, the stronger his Rune Mastery was, the stronger the Unique Gene would become. And the day he integrated it, the changes to his body would likewise be no less substantial than how great his Spark Rune Mastery was.
This opportunity…
How could he possibly give it up?
**
Sylas pulled himself out of the ground, his gaze chilling.
He had only used up an hour total, and yet…
—
[Quest Leaderboard]
[1. Lorien Myst - 112,000]
[2. Ulrik Vecunish - 25,025]
[3. Aurion Stormveil - 23,110]
[4. Phyrex Guiz - 17,025]
[5. Sylviaa Paige - 15,000]
[6. Emperor Eurapeia - 15,000]
…
[12. Sylas Grimblade - 360]
—
Indeed, it was as he expected. There were massive changes, and Lorien had pulled so far and away from everyone else she had more than the five beneath her combined.
If there was still any doubt that the treasure she had risked her life for was a big part of this, there was certainly no doubt about it now.
But, Sylas wasn't surprised in the slightest. This was precisely why he had chosen this route.
He knew that he was at an information disadvantage, and trying to make up for that with Luck alone wouldn't nearly be enough.
Now, however… it was time to take things into his own hands.
He exhaled a calm breath.
'Come.'
The first layer of his Scorpion Warlord Armor took shape.
Having reached Vitality Mastery, while not quite as spontaneous as Spark Mastery, it was as though it was pulsing with life of its own, even creating itself.
The weight of sustaining the armor fell by more than half. In this state, Sylas almost felt like he could keep it up forever even though he knew that it was nothing more than an illusion.
All at once, his Physical stats shot up by 10 and the danger warning signs coming from the beasts around him plummeted to empty white noise.
'50,000 Silver Genes. That's the goal. Once I can use Progenitor Professional to activate Beacon…
'This will be over.'
Three days.
That was all the time he was giving himself to crush all of their dreams.
He didn't care how much effort, time, or hope Lorien had placed into this moment, she would be a stepping stone.
And he didn't care what Race Ulrik was born into or what they were hoping for out of this…
The moment he saw him.
He would take his head.
BANG!
The snow shattered apart beneath him into a deep crater as Sylas vanished into the distance, his telekinesis thrumming.