Chapter 301 New Talent Copied!
Cal stood in awe for a couple more seconds, staring at Northern as he shot between the White Walkers, swinging his sword with swiftness and precision. His focus was so acute and deep that Cal's eyes sparkled, and he couldn't help but wonder how it would feel fighting such a person.
He smirked.
"I literally forgot myself..." he scratched his hair for a bit and smiled with his eyes.
Then he clenched his fist and began to casually walk forward, clenching even harder, so hard that his veins were almost popping out.
A leisurely White Walker lunged towards him but was met by a bone-breaking backhanded punch, one that sent him rolling in the air and crunching into the ground.
Without even looking to confirm the death of his foe, Cal continued forward. Another one got in front of him, but before that one could land a blow with his whitish sword, Cal was already behind the White Walker.
A fraction of a second later, the neck of the creature let out a crunching sound and bent sideways, with Cal's hand oozing smoke.
More White Walkers came towards him, but he got into stance and lazily hung one hand low between his legs, the other one holding his hip.
It was quite the odd stance for a speedster.
The next instant, however, he disappeared.
Cal's disappearance was almost imperceptible, like a flicker in the air.
One moment he was standing, his hands in that lazy, almost disdainful stance, and the next he was gone.
The White Walkers, initially confused, looked around wildly, their primitive minds struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Northern, in the midst of his own deadly fray, caught glimpses of Cal's movements from a compartment of his eyes.
It was a blur of motion, almost too fast to track, but he could see the devastation Cal left in his wake.
It was like watching a shadow move through the snow, leaving a trail of destruction.
A White Walker lunged at Northern with a spear, and he sidestepped, parrying the thrust with one sword while slashing across the creature's chest with the other.
The Walker staggered back, blood pouring from the deep gash, and Northern pressed his advantage, driving his blade through its heart.
As the Walker fell, Northern took a moment to glance in Cal's direction and then he looked down, a grin slowly coming to his face.
[Do you want to copy talent: Windstride(A-Class) for 900 talent fragments?]
Northern raised a brow. 'Nine hundred talent fragments. Shin's talent was A-class and it was priced three hundred. What is this?'
[Note: Talents are worth per ranks. When a talent of the Master rank is copied, all the talent abilities are copied with it. When the talent of a Sage is copied, all the talent abilities are copied with it. In these two situations, one is stronger than the other and it does not matter to your soul since you don't have a soul core.
You can properly utilize the talent abilities despite not being a Sage. Plus you have a head start that they don't. By the time you become a Sage, you'd have more talent abilities than any Sage should have]
[Hence the cost for copying talents is always doubled]
[That is: Master(A-class) - 300 talent fragments]
[Savant(A-class) - 600 talent fragments]
[Sage(A-class) - 900 fragments]
And this is applicable to every talent regardless of their classes.
Northern nodded in understanding.
This was the first time the system had explained something in such detail, and he was so glad about it. Before, he had thought his companion wasn't much of a talker until when necessary.
But what made him happiest were the prospects that copying this talent would bring and the discovery he had just made.
To essentially put it: he was better off copying talents of higher ranks than himself than looking forward to someone that is on his level.
Because he'd be copying and starting with their own achievements.
Northern didn't know if he would be able to grow the talents like they could, because when a drifter advances in rank, he unlocks a talent ability.
Now, Northern wasn't sure if he could. It didn't happen for Advanced Cloning.
But he had a proposition which he couldn't be too sure about:
If it turned out that what he could unlock as talent abilities— as he advances—is owned talents and not copied talents.
Then his proposition would be on point, and that would mean he is definitely bound to be the strongest in the world.
All he had to do was seek after stronger people. Whether it was to be their ally or their foe. It didn't matter, as long as he was able to copy their talents.
Northern chuckled eerily, 'Things are just about to get better.'
He finally muttered his response to the system:
"Yes"
[Congratulations, you have copied talent: Windstride(A-class)]
[Talent Ability: Velocity Dash has been added]
[Talent Ability: Shunpo has been added]
[Talent Ability: Time Warp has been added]
[Talent Ability: Sonic Surge has been added]
[Talent Ability: Breeze has been added]
Northern felt the settling feel. It was slight, but there was a subtle change that reflected in his muscles.
It was tough to put into words and was not vivid enough to be able to call it real.
So Northern just thought of it as a reflection of the changes that ability brought to his soul.
After all, it was the talent of a Sage.
He had gained the talent of a Sage.
Practically speaking, by talent and power alone, he was a Sage, but his mindset and experience were still far from where they should be.
And perhaps he was truly beginning to see that, and maybe perhaps not.
Northern stood aloof for a second, then stretched his legs sideways, bent down, and stretched them very well.
He did the same for his second leg and finally stood up.
"Now, then, shall we start properly, friends and foes?"