Chapter 649: Forging His Plans
There were a number of things Northern had not began to explore about DIY, not because he couldn't but because he didn't want to.
At first, his plan for that certain feature of the system was to use his to create an undefeatable arsenal of void summons, it was the reason.
That alongside what he would be able to accomplish with soul forge. Northern was confident in the now-seemingly thousand ways for him to get stronger.
Hence, he decided to first mastering the forge, after which he was going to copy talents, upgrade them and then come to inspect the new void summon entries.
Then after all that was done. His plan was to begin to use the other souls around to forge power gears for his arsenal.
Then with the newly the creation ability of the void, he would create new permanent clones of himself with different personalities and sources of strength and for one of the incredibly amazing things DIY could do...
Diy allowed him to be able to appoint talents to people. People in this category meant other people and his clones.
Northern had experimented on it with Black Mamba but it was futile, which confirmed his suspicion that for some reason, the Copycat system does not consent to the existence of void and chaos.
However, there didn't seem to be anything it could have done about it.
Northern had even felt like perhaps Diy had been a desperate attempt to cause him to rely more on the system.
Whichever one was the case, he loved it and his goal at the end of the day still remained to surpass all. Both the system and Chaos and Void, he would surpass them all.
When he met Lynus and spoke to him about working for him, there was no prize that could have caused the proud and arrogant knight to succumb until when Northern explained his rare ability.
Sugarcoating it as the ability to help his talent class grow.
Talent class from the beginning of time was not just a classification of power rank of one's talent.
It was a classification of the type of talent that permanently dictated its power rank.
For example, talents that were suited for close combat and more warrior based would always be found between Class B, A, and S.
Shin's cloning ability for example, also Windstride.
Talents that seemed perfect for long distant battle, evoking attacks that rendered distance meaningless were always found between Class S, SSS and EX.
While utility talents were always found in Class, C, D, E and F.
Of course, there are always very rare anomalies where a supposed perfect Talent like lightning would be in a lower Class.
This can be caused due to one's soul core. When the soul core in its awakening is not fashioned to be able to hold too much essence, this further affects the class of their talents at awakening.
Thus it was a fate a drifter could not really dictate.
Which made Northern's proclaimed rare ability very special, that not even arrogant Lynus could refuse the mouth watering offer for his talent to grow.
Northern had a simple way to go about it, copy his talent and evolve it and return it to him, upon returning it to him, Lynus would be getting the evolved version of his talents. That was easy.
The same thing could be applied to Aster. But Aster's case was a bit different and difficult. The chatterbox had little to no reserve of normally, which meant even if Northern was to give him a stronger talent. He still wouldn't have enough essence to use them.
The boy was like an unresourceful chatterbox through and through, which made Northern doubt his perception of him-that he might be a genius..
All that didn't matter, now his job was to figure out a way to make Aster stronger, either he was going to give him a new core, widen his reserve pool, or make him a void summon.
He had to do it one way or the other, he had to make the boy grow stronger. 'Did I bite on more than I can chew?'
Along with his thoughts resounded another solemn strike that shattered the crimson ore on the metal table.
He shoved it to a metal bowl and placed the bowl into the fire pit, waiting for the mineral to
heat up.
'For now though... everything should be fine'
It had been difficult than pushing a mountain, getting Aster to go back to his room and assuring him that all will be fine, considering that the curfew was over.
The only way he was able to get the boy to get back to his normal life was after threatening to go the student council himself and spill everything.
Dejected, Aster eventually left and Northern silently delegated Night Terror to watch him, while he gave Black Mamba the responsibility of surveying the entire academy.
Since this was going to be his playground for a while. Northern's first step was to make sure, it was really HIS playground through and through and that meant, knowing every nook and cranny of the academy.
And Black Mamba just so happens to be the dude for the job.
Northern's fingers brushed over the hilt of the forging hammer as he focused on the rhythmic glow of the fire pit.
The ore, now glowing a dull red, began to sweat droplets of molten essence into the crucible. The forge's heat roared, the air thick with the scent of scorched metal and the faint hum of the Void, ever present in his soul.
He leaned in slightly, watching the ore soften under the intense heat, its surface bubbling like boiling liquid. His grip on the hammer tightened, his thoughts momentarily aligning with the rhythmic crackling of the fire.
With precise movements, Northern removed the crucible from the flames, setting it on the
tempered
eel
bench.
The liquid metal shimmered faintly, threads of ethereal energy coursing through it—a
property unique to it.
He tapped the hammer against the edge of the crucible, pouring the molten essence into a mold etched with patterns, ensuring the final product would carry the imprints of the connection it needed to reach its full potential.
As the metal began to cool, his mind drifter back to the rest of the organization.
Aster had called them starchasers.
'Quite a weird name... it sounds childish'
However, for a non-combative lots, they had a lot of balls, forming and keeping such an
organization running.
Northern admired their guts and courage. People like that would definitely be able to take whatever he was to plant in them and make it shine.
He was going to take a ton of combat inexperienced drifters and defeat all the Combative school and win the competition.
That was just the beginning however. Northern planned to after that, become something
more.
Another information he was able to get fully well from Aster was the true influence of the
student council.
The student council was the body of authority of the academy and their influence extended far beyond what most students comprehended. Aster had explained, with his usual flair for dramatics, that the council was practically untouchable.
They operated not only as enforcers of academy rules but also as a shadowy governing body,
controlling the flow of resources, the allocation of missions, and even the outcomes of
disputes between drifters.
Northern wasn't surprised. In a world driven by talent and power, such a hierarchy was
inevitable.
The council wasn't just a group of ambitious students; they were groomed for this role, handpicked by the academy's higher-ups for their potential and influence.
Yet, Northern didn't see them as a threat. If anything, they were an obstacle to be overcome-
pawns in a much larger game.
His ultimate goal extended far beyond the academy's walls, but for now, he needed to play
their game, if only to establish his dominance within the system.
His eyes flickered to the cooled alloy resting on the workbench.
The ore had solidified into a gleaming ingot, its surface shimmering faintly as crimson soul
essence pulsed within.
Northern picked up the ingot and held it up to the dim light of the forge. The patterns etched into its surface seemed to writhe, almost alive.
"Hmm, what do I name this..." he muttered to himself.
As he had learned during their lectures, when a drifter discovered a mineral ore, they had the
privilege of giving it a name.
Northern had been the one to discover the red crystals, so he could give it a name.
He thought for a while and uttered, a small smile adorning his face.
"Rethium."
His inspiration was from Aetherium, and he figured he had to also make the name have that
mineral feel and flair.
Satisfied, he set it aside and reached for another chunk of crimson crystal, tossing it into the
fire.
The process of melting and forging was methodical, almost meditative. Each strike of the hammer, each swirl of molten metal, brought him closer to his goal.